


The Tragedy of Aldnoah Zero

by Midnightmich



Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime), Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: And Hinami, Ken and Hide are forever a fucking pairing, Multi, along with Ayato, and this is the crossover no one wanted, but I'm working out the kinks, i'm leaning towards Inaho/Slain, just me, not sure about the other pairings just yet, nothing can change my mind about that, she might have a significant other, some mentions of other toyko ghoul characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-05
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-29 03:10:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 89,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3880003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnightmich/pseuds/Midnightmich
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As far as ghouls knew, there has only been planet....and that was Earth. However, due to circumstances, several ghouls found themselves crashing landing on a distant planet that eerily looks just like their own. They have the same countries, languages and people. The only difference is that there are no ghouls....and the Vers Empire--that had easily destroyed several countries--is just beyond the moon.</p>
<p>After spending four years in relative peace on United Earth, the small surviving group of ghouls--Hinami, Touka, Ayato--half ghouls--Ken and his sister--and their human friend Hide, must now make a decision when their new home is at war with the Vers Empire. Should be an easy task considering none of the sides knew about ghouls....but that Aldnoah Drive made things a lot more complicated.</p>
<p>Sucky Summary. Sorry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It's Never too Late for a Tragedy

**Summary: Things were getting out of hand in Tokyo, the doves somehow managed to nip the Aogiri Tree and Ghouls were being hunted left and right. No one was safe. She can’t remember how they managed to escape considering space travel was barely getting off the ground, but she, Hinami and surprisingly Hide found themselves in a similar looking Japan except there were no ghouls, no doves. Instead, the Vers Empire existed on a nearby planet and tensions between Martians and Terrans were high. While they adjusted to their new lives, they couldn’t help but hope that their other companions, Touka, Ayato, and Miko’s brother Kaneki survived as well and were looking for them. But just as they find each other, the princess of Vers is assassinated. War is upon them and now they must defend their new home. But will Terrans still spare them once their secret is out? And why does the Aldnoah Drive have a peculiar effect on them, especially half ghouls such as Miko and Kaneki?**

**Talking:** “You don’t know anything about us!”

**Thinking:** _Let justice be done, through the heaven fall….how disgustingly poetic._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul or Aldnoah Zero. I only own my character Miko.**

* * *

_“Hurry! Get into the shuttle!” Someone shouted to her right. Looking back and forth frantically, I could see the room flashing red and white brightly and voices behind the locked and blocked door only promised pain._

_What’s 1000-_

_“No….Not again.” I gasped as I held in pain. “Not again….no one will go through that…”_

_“Oi! Hurry up! We can’t stall the shuttle any longer Miko!” The same voice earlier called out._

_“Someone needs to manually open the door.” She called back, still shaking. “Go! Protect them!”_

_“What? No! We’re not going to leave you!” A new voice called out, sounding even more frantic than the one before._

_“Go! They’ve already done their worst to me. I’ll……I’ll be fine.” I choked out, tears streaming down my face, blurring my vision as I turned to face the people calling out to me. “Go….live! Live on!” I shouted as I ran towards the control panels, my fingers dancing across the keyboard as I typed in an override. Just as I manually opened the escape door for the shuttle, the door to the room blasted open, several ghoul investigators running in just as the shuttle began accelerating._

_“You’re too late.” I smiled sadly as my legs shook uncontrollably as I spotted several familiar faces, some bringing happy memories other…painful ones. “They’re going to survive. You won’t harm them anymore—”_

“Hey? You ok?” Hide’s voice started the grey haired woman, nearly sending her toppling from her chair.

“Wah!!! Hide! You ass!” Miko cried, angrily glaring at her blonde friend as he laughed at her. “I swear, I’ll just lock you out the café and see how well you can get back in.”

“Hinami-chan would just let me you know that.” He smiled as he grabbed a nearby chair and took a seat as he gave her a serious look. “But in seriousness….are you ok? You kind of spaced out when you were going over the bills. Is it that bad?” Miko shook her head as she looked back at the desk where multiple papers scattered across her desk to the point she couldn’t even see the wood anymore.

“No. The bills are fine. No loans needed this time….I just…..I was just remembering some…things.”

“You mean during our escape from the CCG?” Hide asked with a sad smile. Miko nodded slowly.

“I only remember bits and pieces of it….I remember seeing Amon…..Arika….Seido….and others but….”

_Despite them being my friends….why was I terrified of seeing them and why didn’t they charge after me the moment they saw me?_

“Hey, don’t think too much of it alright.” Hide quickly rushed to the older woman and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Your memories will come back in time. Don’t rush them. It’s never good to rush into that sort of thing.”

“I suppose your right.” Miko sighed heavily as she stood up and stretched out her limbs before catching a glimpse of the time in her small office. “Already eleven? Has Yukio come yet to pick up Inaho?” She asked as she calmly walked out of her room towards a set of stairs. As she finally reached the end, she poked her head out, entering the Café underneath their small apartment building.

“Nope, and I don’t think Hinami-chan has gotten the concept of Trigonometry just yet.” Hide chuckled as he peeked after Miko, eyeing the two teenagers left in the café, the table they were occupying just as messy as Miko’s desk. One of them looked very focused on the material—so much so that it looked like smoke could be coming out of her ears—while the other looked like he was having no trouble at all with the subject they were talking about.

“Even I couldn’t get that shit.” Miko muttered before speaking louder. “Oi, Inaho. Since your sis isn’t here yet, you know what that means.”

“But we’re not done studying yet Onee-san!” The light brunette girl cried; her eyes wide in horror. “I need to pass tomorrow’s test or I might fail my midterm!”

“And if you oversleep, you’ll miss it completely Hinami-chan.” Miko sighed before yawning heavily. How long had it been since she had more than three hours to sleep?

“Don’t worry Hinami, I think you’ll be able to get a passing grade with all the studying we’ve manage to complete.” Another brunette—this time a boy—answered as he looked at several pieces of paper. “You just have to remember—”

“Oi! Remember rule number five! No complicated math is to be discussed in the presence of the Coffee Queen!” Miko cried as she clasped her hands over her ears, completely ignoring the deadpan stares from the teens and Hide’s laugh.

“Onee-san!”

“Kidding, kidding. But seriously pack it in. It’s time to go to bed. Inaho, you know where your spare room is.” Miko chuckled as she turned around and walked into the kitchen, muttering something about cleaning the oven.

“But Miko-san, I can walk—”

“Don’t even bother little dude, you know she won’t let you go and not to mention, I’m pretty sure your sister will feel better if you spend the night over here instead of walking by yourself to your apartment.” Hide laughed as he grabbed a spare cupcake from the display counter. “Not to mention, eating desserts in the morning gets a bit tiring.”

“You shouldn’t use Nao-kun’s cooking abilities to satisfy your food craving Hide-nii.” Hinami scolded the blonde before smirking. “Not to mention, Onee-san won’t like it if you keep stealing her baked goods.”

“What she won’t know won’t—GAH!” Hide cried in pain as a rolling pin hit him square in the head. “Miko-chan! How could you! I didn’t even do anything this time!”

“You insulted my ability to cook and then you’re stealing my food.” Miko called from the double doors as they swung slight from the force of the rolling pin. “Not to mention you’re Hide. That’s reason is enough.”

“No fair!” Hide cried crocodile tears, before turning the two teens as they finished cleaning their table. “Hinami-chan, Nao-chan, Miko-chan is bullying me!”

“Sometimes I wonder who the adult in your family is, Hinami.” Inaho replied, sending an imaginary arrow to Hide’s heart ‘killing’ him. “I can see why you’re so mature at school.”

“Well, we are a unique family, Nao-kun.” Hinami smiled. “And I won’t trade this for anything.”

“Considering you get coffee free every morning….I suppose that’s a plus.” The dark brunette muttered earning a deadpan stare from both Hinami and Hide. “If you want my sister’s coffee tomorrow morning, all you have to do is ask.” Hinami chuckled, leading the brunette up to their apartment. “Oh and about tomorrow’s test….” As their voices died Hide looked towards the Kitchen where he could see Miko standing just behind the door.

“They’re already upstairs you know that right?” Hide muttered as he stood up and stretched out before putting his chair back.

“I know….but Hinami’s hearing is getting better and better. She has a very advanced set of ears and nose….if we were back home….she could easily get a rank of A for those qualities….” Miko muttered, with a sad smile on her face before returning to the oven. She never really bothered with extreme cleaning before—her old house would have looked like a pig stock if Ken didn’t try to clean up—but after…..after they managed to escape…..she seemed almost obsessed with it. She couldn’t stand for a dirty house, anything dirty really. She would spend hours trying to get rid of a strain and if she couldn’t….something snapped in her and she would hear words echo in her head…

_You’re disgusting. Worse than Dirt. Filthy. Why are you even trying to blend into society?_

It would take Hide and Hinami hours to get her back to normal….and while they wouldn’t tell her what she would do during her….episodes….she could see evidence around the house and sadly on Hide as well. “I’m sure her parents would be glad at her transformation as both a ghoul and a teenager….” Miko smiled tightly as she tried to bring her thoughts away from the harmful memories.

“Yeah…..I think she really likes going to school…she never got to do that when she was younger huh.” Hide muttered, smiling softly as he walked towards the kitchen where Miko was busy scrubbing clean the oven.

“I think she feels closer to Touka and Ken by going to school you know…she finally gets to see how they experienced school….she even knows how to fool her classmates when she eats!” Miko smiled brightly before slumping. “I just wish….Ken…and you know….everyone one else could see the accomplishments she has made so far.”

“Hey….we’ll find them. We’ve saved up enough money so this summer we all can take time off to look for them properly.” Hide said as he grabbed Miko’s hand and forced her to look at him. “We’ll find them alright? Don’t worry.”

“I always worry, Baka.” Miko sighed as she leaned into Hide’s shoulder—when did he get taller than her—before hugging him tightly. “It’s my job to as the adult in this strange family.”

“Who would have thought that a human, a hybrid and a ghoul could live normally in a world where the biggest enemy is humans living in space.” Hide chuckled as Miko punched him lightly.

“Shut up….just let me stay like this for a little longer…” Miko sighed as Hide chuckled but complied nonetheless. They stayed like that for several minutes before they decided to call it a night—well more like Hide forced Miko to go to sleep because the oven was shiny enough already god damn it—and on the way to her room, Miko couldn’t help but peek into Hinami’s room and smile as she saw the content smile on the teenage ghoul.

To think it’s been four years since they arrived on the strange planet that was so similar yet so different to the world they grew up in. For starters, ghouls did not even exist in this planet which was a plus to the three of them while also posing a problem. For starters, there were no doves to hunt or kill them so they were relatively safe from death, but since there were no ghoul activity, if a large amount of people went missing in area where the human population was an already low count….well, it would spark an investigation and their secret could possibly leak out. Who knows how the human population would react, maybe the Martians and Terrans would actually team up for once to take them out?

Ha preposterous.

Then there was that one major difference between their world and this one and that was the Aldnoah Drive. From what Miko was able to gather, it was an ancient technology that once powered an ancient civilization on Mars—how people lived on a different plant millions of years ago still baffled the half ghoul—and with its discovery it brought forth a new empire on Mars otherwise known as the Vers Empire. Despite its youth, the Empire surpassed the civilization here on United Earth so much that they were able to create spaceships that could travel from in space with ease and luxury. And their battleships…..well rather Kataphrakt….were capable of much destruction. So much that they destroyed countries that could never hope to recover, America being a prime example. Miko was grateful that they didn’t arrive during the first war between Earth and Mars—she and Hide would have been shipped off for war that was for sure—but Miko couldn’t help but feel that the fragile peace the two plants had at the moment would not last much longer.

After all, at school, military drills were part of the curriculum and the United Earth Force was slowly making Kataphrakt of their own to battle the Martians. If that wasn’t a sign of preparation for war, then she didn’t know what was. It also didn’t help that the Martians strongest and most loyal soldiers—called the Orbital Knights—still orbited the earth, waiting for the perfect time to act.

If Miko was honest herself, she didn’t know if a ghoul could even take on Kataphrakt, since back on her plant, humans still hadn’t even come close in creating a machine that destructive.

But one of the plus sides of living in a nearly stress free plant was that they really didn’t have to hide their real identities. Hinami was free to go to school as long as she could fool her classmates when she ate lunch with them. She even made several friends over the years which brought great happiness to both Hide and Miko, fearing that she would only have them to talk to. She especially grew close to Inaho when she learned that he lived in their area….it probably also helped that he loved the coffee Miko made.

“Just another day here on United Earth….” Miko sighed to herself as she got into her bed setting her alarm for tomorrow. “Well….tomorrow will be anything but ordinary, after all it’s not every day a princess makes goodwill visit….I hope nothing goes wrong.” She whispered to herself as she turned off her lights, surrendering herself to the nightmares that always plague her mind.

* * *

“Good morning! May I interest you in the house special coffee along with your pumpkin spice cake?” Miko asked her first of customers that day—a group of men that she couldn’t quite place their ethnicity—as she wrote down their order.

“That’s a bit expensive for coffee.” One of the men muttered—he had short brown hair and narrow eyes—causing the others to agree. Miko sighed internally; sadly this was a common occurrence seeing that coffee, while still available, was slowly dwindling and it was rather expensive to buy even in bulk. So her prices on coffee were rather high to compensate the price she had to buy to buy the beans, which many people still thought was outrageous.

“Well, during the last Martian-Earth war, the Martians destroyed one of the leading coffee bean growing countries and since then, coffee has been considered a luxury.” Miko sighed before smiling brightly. “But I can guarantee you that this will be the best coffee you ever taste. I’ll even give it to you half off to try it! And if you don’t like it still, your meal will be free!” It seemed that the prospect of a free meal caught their attention and ordered the coffee.

“Thank you! I’ll have one of my assistants bring you your pumpkin spice cake while I prepare your coffee.” Miko smiled as she placed her notepad into her one of her many pockets in her apron and walked back to her coffee making station. “Hinami-chan, can you get those gentlemen their pumpkin spice cake before you leave?” Miko asked just as Hinami, along with Inaho, jogged down the stairs ready for school. At first Miko felt a bit guilty for letting them sleep, but when she caught Inaho’s annoyed glare, she was glad that she managed to get a reaction out of the stoic teenager. It also helped that Hide had to suffer a breakfast without Inaho’s cooking.

“Hai!” Hinami smiled as she placed her bag on the counter and quickly got out the cakes—freshly baked—and served it the gentlemen at the only occupied table. “Here you go, I hope the cakes are to your liking and I also hope that you enjoy Onee-san’s coffee.”

“Here, I made you some breakfast for the go.” Miko smiled as she handed the teens two small paper bags before handing them thermos which Inaho’s eyes slightly widen at. “And it’s on the house to make up for not waking you up earlier.”

“Thank you/Ah thank you Onee-san.” They answered; one more enthusiastically than the other before rushing out the café.

“Be careful out there and if you go to the parade, send me pictures!” Miko called out just as they left. “Kids.” She chuckled as she finished making the coffee.

“Here you go sirs! I hope it’s to your tastes.” Miko smiled as she handed the three of them their drinks and waited for their verdict. She smiled triumphantly as they gave each other a shocked looked. Oh she lived for these days when she proves to her customers that her coffee is totally worth the price she puts them at. If only she could take pictures and hang them in her café.

“Its….really good.” One of them muttered looking at Miko in shock. “How—” “You just have to know how to brew them correctly.” Miko smiled before a small smile replaced it.

“I’m actually not that great compared to my brother or his mentor….their coffee tasted much better than mine.”

“I wouldn’t mind trying theirs if yours is any indication—”

“My brother’s master died several years ago and I haven’t seen my brother since ….we were separated during Heaven’s Fall.” Miko answered quickly, “Sorry….”

“Oh….I’m sorry about that.” One of them answered before Miko waved them off.

“Don’t be. You weren’t the reason for the destruction of the moon. Not to mention, I’ve put enough money for TV ads that maybe my brother’s seen it and he’s on his way here.” Miko chuckled nervously before the chime of the door signaled that another customer entered her café. “Oh, excuse me I have other customers to attend to. If you need anything just give me a call.” Miko smiled before rushing to the other customers. However, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the group of men as they converse amongst themselves. The light music going on in the background and the loud college students that entered ruined her chances of even eavesdropping their conversation on the men before her.

_Hinami wouldn’t have any trouble with this._ Miko sighed to herself as she rang up the men before her. _Wolf Areash….I’ll have Hide run a quick background check on him._

“Thank you for your patronage. Please don’t hesitate to come again.” She smiled brightly, barely notching the small twitch on the man’s face as he gave her a nod before leaving.

_Yeah, I’ll definitely have Hide run a background check on him._ Miko thought as she texted her blonde friend.

“Hey Miko-san, are you going to see the parade for Princess Asseylum today?” One of her frequent customers asked as she got a quick reply. _OK! ;P_ Miko was glad that Hide usually never questioned her requests.

“You do realize I have a café to run right?” Miko muttered, giving the teens a deadpan stare as they laughed at her.

“Right, well you could close up early?”

“I could, but I could easily see it here on T.V.” Miko answered pointing to the T.V behind her. “Which I will turn on once it hits eleven.”

“And why not earlier?” Miko paused for a moment before muttering out,

“I like listening to music in the morning….”

* * *

“Yo, Inaho! Hinami-chan!” A boy with black hair and a wide smile, happily cried as he looked up from his gaming console as he saw his two friends board the bus. “Good Morning!”

“G-good Morning Okisuke-kun.” Hinami squeaked out, turning a bit red as she greeted her friend, while Inaho gave him a nod and took a seat next to a blonde haired boy.

“Oh isn’t Yuki with you?” A girl with black hair cut into a short haircut and amber eyes, asked as she made room for Hinami to sit with her and another blonde girl.

“She probably slept in today. I stayed the night over at Hinami’s to help her study. Her sister didn’t let me walk home when my sister failed to come and pick me up.” Inaho answered, earning deadpan stares from the rest of the teenagers from the group.

“When you say it so nonchalantly, it makes it sound like you’ve been childhood friends and that this is a normal occurrence.” A blonde boy muttered, giving the pair of said teenagers an exasperated sigh.

“I-it’s not like that Calm-kun! Nao-kun is just a good friend! That’s all!” Hinami answered, “Beside, Onee-san promised him coffee as well…”

“Dude, why don’t you ever get coffee for us as well!?” Calm cried, “It’s like the best coffee in the world and I never thought Inaho would even get addicted to something other than eggs!”

“I can ask Onee-san if she’s willing to give you guys free coffee next time…”

“I knew you were awesome Hinami-chan!” Calm smiled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, not noticing the small glare Okisuke sent to him.

“But then….who’s waking up Yuki? Isn’t she supposed to be in charge of drills today?” Inko asked as everyone looked at Inaho who was busy sipping his coffee.

“Miko-san probably sent Hide-san to wake up my sister. He wasn’t helping her his morning when we came down to the café.” He answered. “Besides, if she shows some spirit, she should make it today…..barely.”

“Such a shame that you shrink from your duties to escort our Goddess of Tuesdays.” Calm whined. “You’re not even sharing the coffee from the great Coffee Goddess made herself.”

“Hmmm…Penivia…” Inaho muttered, ignoring Calm completely, earning a giggle from Hinami.

“Penivia?”

“The Goddess of Laziness.” Hinami answered, barely glancing at the small tablet Inko was sharing with the Nina and her. “That’s a bit mean Nao-kun.”

“Actually, I’m down with that.” Okisuke spoke up, earning a blush from Hinami. “Folks who plan to go onto college don’t need to worry about drills….no I lost!”he cried as lost his live in the game he was playing.

“Didn’t you fail your midterms Okisuke?” Calm laughed as Okisuke blushed in embarrassment.

“Shut up! You got a C- on your maneuver test Calm!”

“I-I can help you study if you want.” Hinami offered, “Although I probably can’t help you with Trigonometry…”

“That would be awesome Hinami-chan!” Okisuke smiled, trying to ignore the cough behind him that sounded a lot like ‘kiss her already’.

“I’ve been taking notes on everything! Soon I’ll get back my position as top in the class.” Inko smiled as the conversation turned to grades. At the moment, the bus darkened a bit as they entered the tunnel but Hinami had no problem seeing everyone’s faces as many of them squinted to see each other.

“Ha as if you can even beat Inaho, not to mention Hinami is second after him and even she’s struggling with his help.” Calm laughed.

“Don’t listen to Calm, Inko.” Hinami chuckled nervously as her friend gave the blonde an angry glare. “I’m sure you’ll be able to pull it off.” Just as Inko opened her mouth to reply to the ghoul, the bus exited the tunnel and the teens could easily see the destruction that lay just outside their city. Hinami bit her lip as the other teens looked sadly at the nearly leveled and deserted area. While she was not a stranger to loss or suffering, she wasn’t here when Heaven’s Fall happened, nor did she have her home destroyed by the same species. She couldn’t completely understand her friends’ anger and sadness they felt towards the Martains. Hinami could only pretend too.

“Disaster Recovery….” Calm muttered aloud. “Even in Shingawara, once you leave the main city, you can see the real damage those Martians did…”

“Those Martian Bastards really went crazy with it huh.” Okisuke muttered, his eyes blazing in anger as he watched as the recovery area grow smaller and smaller.

“Still, Japan’s way better off than where Nina and I come from.” Calm sighed sadly as Hinami gave her blonde friend a small smile as Inko rubbed her head comfortingly.

“And you lost your parents to Heaven’s Fall didn’t you Hinami-chan?” Okisuke asked as Hinami nodded, already knowing the story her Onee-san had made up.

“Yeah….they worked overseas in California and….I’m glad that Onee-san found me when she did.” She smiled sadly, using the memory of her parent’s death to make it sound more convincing. “It’s hard to imagine what would have happened if Onee-san and Hide-nii didn’t find me….”

“Are you sure those two aren’t dating? They seem really close.” Calm mumbled, remembering the few times they had seen Hinami’s guardians. Hinami had to stifle a laugh while Inaho smirked slightly. They could already imagine the reactions of the two adults from the café.

“Hide-nii is Nii-san’s best friend so he knew Onee-san for a very long time.”

“Nii-san?” Nina asked. “I thought you didn’t have a brother.”

“He’s Onee-san’s little brother…”Hinami muttered sadly, already missing the black…well now white haired teen. He was so nice to her when they first met….it was still hard to believe that he and Onee-san suffered through so much….so much to make sure they could be happy… “From what Hide-nii tells me, he went missing during Heaven’s Fall and Onee-san’s still looking for him.”

“For fifteen years?!” Nina exclaimed. “Wow, she must have a lot of faith in her little brother for—”

“Nina!” Inko nearly shouted, “That sounds a bit—”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine.” Hinami laughed lightly. “I know a lot of people would think it’s weird to hold onto hope for that long but Onee-san knows her brother is strong and I believe in Onee-san so I believe he’ll be back. She always talks about him so I feel like I already know him.”

_I do actually…..and I really hope that he comes back to us…._

“Only if we could have that same kind of hope with the Martians…” Calm sighed heavily. “I don’t think peace will last with those greedy bastards…”

“But don’t we have a cooperative policy with Mars now?” Inko asked, trying her best to sound positive. “And we have that good will ambassador visiting us!”

“Oh yeah the princess…” Okisuke muttered, “What was her name again?”

“Asey….Easy….”

“This is why you’re failing….”

“Shut up!” “Princess Asseylum…” Inaho muttered, being completely ignored by the verbal argument going on between the two other males in the bus.

“Of course you would know.” Hinami whispered to herself, smiling at the comforting scene around her. While she wished she could have met her friends under a different set of circumstances….she was still glad to be able to live a normal human life….as normal as a ghoul could have anyways.

_I’m glad that I’ve have met some great friends…Mamma, Papa….I hope you can see them. And Nii-san….Touka-nee….I hope you’ll be able to see them as well one day._ She thought to herself, smiling as she closed her eyes and continued to listen to the soothing voices of her friends, missing Inaho’s small smile as he looked towards her direction.

* * *

“Hello! Welcome to Anteiku café! Please take a seat and I’ll—oh Hide! Finally you’re here!” Miko cried as she noticed her blonde human friend sheepishly trying to hide his entrance. “Good. Put on the spare uniform and get table four’s orders.”

“But why?! I thought you gave me the day off!” Hide pouted but did as the grey haired woman told him to.

“Several of my workers decided to call out so I’m a bit short handed, just lend me a hand will you? At least until rush hour is over?” Miko pleaded over her shoulder just as she finished writing down a customer’s order.

“Fine….but I expect a kiss for my hard work!”

“Dream on Hide!” She laughed back, some of the customers giggling at the playful banter. As Miko reached the counter, Hide—all dressed in uniform—quickly and discreetly showed her his phone before he made his way towards table four with a large smile on his face. Within seconds, her phone buzzed and a quick look showed an email attachment from Hide labeled ‘Wolfman, Is He Real or Not?’ Trust Hide to get all the information she wanted in the span of time it would take to brew up several coffees. Sadly she would have to look at the information during her break or whenever the amount of customers died down. Whichever came first.

“And so, Princess Asseylum just arrived at the Japan’s space station and is on her way to the embassy to continue her goodwill trip.” The news reporter announce, gaining the attention of everyone in café as they turned to the T.V. Miko quickly turned up the volume of the television and stood at the counter as she watched the camera zoom in to a Vers spaceship. “Please stay tune as we film the journey of the princess live.”

“She looks pretty young.” Hide commented, gently placing the used dishes into the sink. “Around Hinami-chan’s age or older. And to think they’re letting her come basically by herself. I thought that an Orbital Knight would have at least accompanied her.”

“The princess must have forced them to stay considering how many people have a huge dislike for the war hungry knights.” Miko muttered, earning some nods or grunts of confirmation. “It wouldn’t make her goodwill trip any good if there was too much tension….but….it’s….strange…” Miko muttered as she returned to the coffee station just as the new batch of water finished boiling. “Letting her go with very little security….they either placed too much faith in us….or they want something bad to happen so they can have a reason to continue their war they started several years ago…”

“Always the pessimist, aren’t you?” Hide sighed, “But….you do have a point….it does sound fishy…”

“Hopefully, it’s just me being paranoid.” Miko muttered, “It probably has to do with the fact that Hinami has to help with crowd control near the school.”

“Oh right. School gets out early today so the students can see the parade…wait why is Hinami-chan helping? I told her to take videos for me!” Hide whined. “Hinami-chan, why did you betray me?!”

“Relax drama king.”Miko laughed passing the finished cups of coffee to some college students also watching the news. “Hinami texted me saying, she made Inaho-kun promise her to take videos for you since she couldn’t do it.”

“Bah! He’ll take boring ones!” Hide groaned, “He has it out for me, I know he does.”

“Of course he does.” Miko chuckled, “He and I are plotting your death as we speak. It’s quiet elaborate, first we’ll take away your headphones—”

“Stay away from the headphones you monster!” Hide hissed causing several of the customers to laugh. “I’ll destroy your coffee maker if you do!”

“And then you’ll have to grind the beans by hand until we get a new one.” Miko easily replied, smirking. “You can’t escape your fate Hide. Just give in.”

“Never!” Rolling her eyes, Miko made her way back to the counter and began preparing another set of coffee. Just then the door to the café rung and Miko sighed at the new customers. And another set of customers.

_Really, I would have thought more people would have gone to the parade instead. While it’s good for us, we are terribly shorthanded today._

“Hide! Serve the new customers will you?” Miko called out as carefully poured the boiling water into the cups before getting out the cream to decorate the coffee. When she heard no answer, she sighed heavily as she took the finished cups and placed them on a large serving plate, “I swear Hide, if you’re flirting with one of the—” Miko could feel her throat tighten up as she saw Hide staring just as intently at the customers, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. For a while none of them could say a word as the new customer chuckled lightly before speaking up.

“It’s been a while hasn’t it? Hide….Miko-nee?” Miko dropped the tea set she was holding and immediately ran towards the five foot seven white haired teen crying. She would have said something to the blue haired teens behind him, but right now, she had eyes only for her brother.

“Ken! You’re home! You’re home!” She cried, holding onto the taller boy—no man….just like Hide, he grew to be taller than her—as tight as she could, afraid that he would just disappear. She only tightened her grip as she felt her brother wrap his arms around her as well. Soon another pair of arms joined hers and Miko chuckled as her brother nearly lost balanced as Hide tackled him from behind.

“Idiot….you took your sweet time getting here.”

“Sorry….we got lost.” Ken laughed nervously causing Miko to punch his shoulder playfully before she let go of her brother and looked at the teens who were awkwardly standing at the entrance. Without saying a word, Miko quickly enveloped the two of them in a hug smirking as the both tensed up, especially the boy. “Thank you….Touka-chan, Ayato-kun for bringing home Ken.”

“Tsk….that big baby wouldn’t stop talking about it.” Ayato growled out as he pushed out of Miko’s hug. “So you gonna give us some of your shit or what.”

“Ayato!” Touka growled out to her younger brother—now that Miko looked at the two, Touka had definitely grown more into a woman and her soft facial features would have made even the coldest Orbital Knights look twice.

_She still has her signature hair though._ Miko thought before her attention turned towards the younger ghoul sibling, shocked that he now stood taller than his sister despite being only fifteen or even sixteen. A lot taller than Hinami’s friends that’s for sure and even though his jacket covered his body, Miko was willing to bet her café that he had more muscles than most adults would.

“Yes, let’s catch up shall we?” Miko smiled before turning to her customers as they watched silently at the scene before them. “Sorry everybody, but I’m closing up early. You can take your drinks and snacks with you. Bring them back tomorrow if you can. It’s family time.” Miko shouted, quickly helping the customers out the café.

“But really…..Anteiku?” Ken chuckled as he watched his sister shoo out some college students that had their headphones on.

“Hey, it helped you find us.” Hide laughed, still hugging his best friend. “Don’t judge….eyepatch.”

* * *

“I know it’s not as good as Ken’s or even Touka’s, but I hope it’s still good enough.” Miko smiled as she served the two ghouls and half ghouls some coffee before placing some sugar cubes down. “They’re the special kind….”

“You learned how to make them?” Touka asked as they all took a cup and placed several “sugar’ cubes in their drinks—Ayato putting in more than Touka and Ken—before taking a sip.

“It was a lot of trial and error.” Miko chuckled sheepishly. “Hinami was the only one who remembered how they tasted so I had to rely on her to get them right.”

“Hinami—”

“She’s at school right now.” Miko smiled brightly at her brother who asked her about the youngest ghoul’s whereabouts, “She’s on the student council to help with the Princess Parade today. She should be coming home in a couple of hours though.”

“Tsk, what the hell is she trying to do, be more human-like? What a waste of time.” Ayato muttered, still sipping his coffee.

“At least she’s getting a proper education.” Hide commented, barely giving the younger ghoul a glance, “She’s like second in her class. And one of the best when it comes to Kataphrakt training. Only second to our dearest Inaho-kun.”

“Inaho-kun?” Ken asked giving his sister a pointed look as she chuckled nervously.

“One of Hinami’s friends. He lives about a ten minute walk from here. We let him stay over sometimes when his sister works overtime and she can’t pick him up.” Miko answered, sighing mentally at the outburst from Ayato and possibly Touka.

“Are you insane! Letting a human—”

“We very well knew the consequences of letting a human,” Miko spat, glaring angrily at the ill tempered ghoul, “live with us. We’re not dumb, but if we want to fit in and not bring any unwanted attention to us, we do have to have normal activities such as being good neighbors!”

“Not to mention, they’re really good at hiding their food.” Hide commented. “They have the normal stash and on days when we have humans over, they put them in a safe that I can’t even find.”

“I wasn’t asking your opinion you filthy human—”

“You want to finish that sentence, Ayato-kun?” Ken muttered, placing his cup down gently, but his narrowed silver eyes flashed dangerously at Ayato causing him to flinch and Touka to tense up. “Or do I need to remind you what happens when you insult Hide?”

“Fuck you.” Ayato growled out but reluctantly sat down, setting for a glare at the dyed blonde instead. Sighing at the close call, Touka resumed drinking her coffee while Hide chose to sling an arm over Ken’s shoulder.

“Aww, defending my honor? You are too cute, Kaneki.”

“Hide….” Ken muttered, looking away but Miko couldn’t help but chuckle as she spotted his small blush.

“Hide, please keep it PG. We do still have a kid with us.” Miko chuckled as Ayato growled at her instead. “So Touka, mind telling me what happened to you guys? I mean….we all did get in the same shuttle didn’t we?” Taking a long sip, Touka let out a sigh before speaking.

“It’s a bit blurry, but I remember on the way down to Earth, we crashed into something that caused a rip to appear on our shuttle which eventually caused it to split into two when we entered the atmosphere.”

“Oh I remember something like that.” Hide muttered, “I thought it was just a hallucination because well….I didn’t think boiling hot pieces of metal would be the best way to go…”

“I could easily see who the three of you would have survived then…” Miko muttered, “With your regenerating abilities, you could easily take the burning. It would hurt but you would have survived….Hinami and I must have shielded Hide and protected his scrawny ass when we crash landed….”

“Hey, I still had a broken arm! You did a horrible job for being a human mattress.” Hide huffed, smirking.

“Whatever.” Miko laughed before turning back to Touka. “Where did you guys end up then? We were lucky to have landed on one the deserted islands off the coast of Japan"

“We unfortunately landed near an American base just off the coast of what’s now….I believe Oklahoma?” Ken muttered, looking thoughtful. “We barely managed to escape but they already had our identities…it took a while to get under the radar and I had to teach these two English because they would stand out too much.”

“Tch, it was a bitch to learn that’s for sure.” Ayato grumbled before choking out as Touka elbowed him. “What the fuck sis?!”

“Stop being so rude already!” She hissed before Miko laughed.

“It’s fine really. It makes it more like a family reunion. But really, you three can speak English?” Miko asked, her eyes starry.

“Uh..”

“Heh, you don’t even know English? You’re pretty dumb for a Dove bitch.” Ayato smirked, speaking in English with a bit of an accent.

“That’s ex-Dove my Dear Ayato-kun.” Miko replied back, smiling as her English had no accent whatsoever, causing Touka to snicker and Ken to smile. “Besides, who do you think taught Ken English? Well conversational English?”

“Shut up…” Ayato grumbled, reverting back to Japanese causing Hide and Touka to burst out laughing.

“Oh man, that’s hilarious. But hey maybe you can teach Hinami-chan English!” Hide exclaimed. “She always wanted to learn, but my music doesn’t help much and Miko’s always busy with the café…you could help her and she could tutor you—”

“Stop with your match making plans Hide…” Miko chuckled causing a raised eyebrow from Ken, a glare from Touka and the small blush to form on the ghoul mentioned. “You already failed with Inaho. Besides, Hinami-chan likes someone else.”

“WHAT!?!?”

“That’s a story for another time.” Miko chuckled at the shocked faces at the small table, “But how did you get to Japan? Travel across seas is heavily monitored not to mention, expensive as hell. Who did you trick into getting tickets or how did you secretly board?” Miko asked, smiling as she leaned in closer to the three ghouls.

“Um…”

“We snuck aboard some military boats, hiding in those Kataphrakt shits and made a run for it when it docked in Japan. That was about a month ago.” Ayato answered. “We then started looking up your names in phone books.” Touka answered next,

“You can’t believe how many people have the last name Kaneki or Hideyoshi. And we didn’t know if Hinami still kept her last name.”

“Then how did you find out about us then? We haven’t put up any commercials on TV about our Café…well at least not…..no….” Miko gasped as the three of them smirked. “You did not see that commercial!” She could feel her face turning redder by the minute.

“Wait you mean our two A.M. commercial we did with Hinami and her friends?!” Hide exclaimed, also red as a tomato as he knew what commercial they had done with their small budget.

“We happened to come across it….” Touka laughed, “You didn’t look that bad half naked.”

“And you wore very colorful clothing.” Ayato snickered as the two café owners hid their faces.

“I was sleep deprived when I created that idea….”

“I was drunk….”

“And Hinami didn’t help at all when she brought her friends in on it….” Miko groaned as Ken chuckled.

“Shut up Ken otherwise I’ll tell Touka and Ayato about the time I forced you, Hide, and Trisha to help me with one of my high school theater projects.”

“Hey! Kaneki won’t be the only one humiliated by that!” Hide complained as Ken turned bright red—a strange sight on his now pale skin and white hair when it was such a common sight before—and wisely shut his mouth.

“Oh, this sounds like good blackmail.” Ayato laughed, “Care to tell us one day bitch?”

“Only when you stop cussing like a sailor I might consider it.” Miko replied earning a glare and another curse from him. “Well, now that we have learned how you survived these past four years….what are your thoughts on this new planet?” Miko asked, staring at the three of them intently.

“Why are you asking us this? It’s just the same shity world with humans. The only plus side is that there are no dove to hunt our asses. We’re free to hunt to our hearts contents—”

“Which we won’t.” Ken interrupted, glaring at the younger ghoul before turning back to his sister. “I’m assuming you’re asking us this because of the heavy tension between the Martain Empire and United Earth?”

“Yes.”

“It’s still hard to believe that humans can live somewhere else that’s not Earth.” Touka muttered, “I mean, our planet was barely getting off the ground with space travel. Hell, we were lucky that our damn space shuttle lasted for as long as it did.”

“That being said, we have no idea what the Vers Empire is capable of. Are they stronger than the Doves? Does their technology harm us? How will we fare in space if we must relocate? Will Martians taste the same as Terrans if we have to hunt them? There are too many variables concerning them. That being said, when war breaks out, which side will we side with and more importantly, how will we convince them that we do not mean harm to them?” Miko muttered sighing heavily.

“You said when. You don’t think the peace treaty between Mars and Earth will last then.” Miko’s brother muttered, narrowing his eyes a bit.

“Anyone who thinks so is kidding themselves.” Miko growled out, “It’s obvious from the Orbital Knights who still orbit around the earth haven’t lost their sight on our planet. They want our land, our resources, and I wouldn’t put it past them to string something up so they can justify their actions of taking Earth.”

“They wouldn’t try something when their fucking princess is here though.” Ayato spat out. “From what I gathered, they’re fucking loyal to the shity royal family and would do anything to please the princess.”

“Some probably hate the royal family.” Hide muttered, causing Ayato’s eyebrow to rise up. “I mean, several of them lost their families during Heaven’s Fall. Not to mention, the only reason they have power is because they have to prove their loyalty to the King otherwise they would be peasants. It’s a feudal system and I think we know enough history to know what happens when a King can’t properly provide for his subjects.”

“They rebel…” Ken muttered causing the entire group to stay silent for a while before Ayato spoke up.

“So what’s so bad about being on the winning side?” Ayato muttered, “It’s getting obvious that those stupid Martians have the upper hand on these stupid humans on earth.”

“Like I said before, we don’t know how we would fare in the new environment.” Miko mumbled. “And the Aldnoah Drive is something we have very little knowledge of. What if it’s something that can destroy Kagunes? What if it makes us go out of control? Without enough information, getting near the Aldnoah Drive or anything powered by the Aldnoah is a risky factor.”

“Seriously though, there hasn’t been any study done on that thing?” Touka asked, “It’s pretty powerful, so powerful that I’m sure they would like to know what else it’s capable of.”

“There was a person, I think Dr. Troyard, but no one has heard from him since he traveled to Vers for further study. Mostly likely the Martians has him hostage so he won’t reveal its secrets to Terrans or they killed him to make sure nothing left their planet.”

“Harsh.” Hide winced causing Miko to shrug.

“It’s what I would have done. After all, a dead man can’t tell any secrets.”

“It seems like you already made up your mind about which side you wish to side with if war does break out though, Miko-nee.” Ken muttered, his lips twitching into the slightest of smirks. “Hinami has her friends and so do I. I want to keep them safe and if I am the only one who can go against the Vers Empire….I will.” Miko said, fire burning behind her eyes as she thought of the few humans friends she made during her stay here.

Inaho’s Sister was a given. She came over to her café often enough for Miko to think of her as her the younger sister she never had—not that she would ever tell Ken—and always tried her best to make sure Yuki was never too stressed. Miko knew the stress of having to take care of a younger sibling without the aid of parents so whenever she could, she would force the older Kaizuka to take a break once in a while just like her friend—Trisha—did whenever she worked too hard during her days at the CCG.

Lt. Marito—one of Hinami’s teachers—was a retired solider and while some claim that he was lunatic who thought he fought during the first Earth-Mars war at Tanegashima, Miko knew better. His eyes were of those that were haunted, haunted by a choice he wished he didn’t have to make. A look she knew too well since it’s nearly all she saw on her brother before the Ghoul Extermination. She first met him during a parent conference—an incident involving Hinami’s lack of lunch—and since then, she’s invited the alcoholic to her café for drinks, listening to him as he talked to her about his childhood, youth and sometimes, his time during the war. She never judged him and only gave him advice for his teaching method since he thought drinking on the job was acceptable. There were times when she spoke to him about her brother, Hide, her best friends Trisha, Amon…but she would never go into full detail about them. He probably thought that they were dead—minus Hide since he always came around to bug the man—and didn’t want to bring up bad memories.

Dr. Yagarai….while she always felt uneasy around him whenever he wore his doctor coat, he was a pleasant and kind man. Miko still had a hard time believing that the man was best friends with Marito—considering his sass and sarcasm he oozed out—but she was glad that he had someone in his life to help him out. While they didn’t see each other often, Miko often found herself at ease whenever she spoke to the soft spoken doctor. Sometimes, Miko thought that Ken would have turned out almost like Dr. Yagarai had he not gone through the horrors Dr Kanou, Aogiri, and Jason put him through. But there was nothing they could do to change the past…they could only try to move forward. 

These people….she would do everything in her power to protect them and even if they turned their back to her….she would still protect them.

“I see….” Ken smiled. “I was beginning to wonder if you would have anyone else to talk to besides Hide. He can be a handful at times.”

“Hey I object that!” Hide whined causing the entire table to erupt into laughter minus Ayato.

“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about this for a while.” Touka smiled softly. “I’m sure it’ll be a while before war breaks out. We’ll have time to catch up….I’m really excited to see Hinami after all these years.”

“In a couple of hours we’ll be back to our happy strange family.” Miko smiled. “I’m glad…..we’ve had too many hardships already….it’ll be a nice change of pace to actually relax for once.”

**BOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!**

The entire Café shook causing all occupants to stand up, tense as they looked out the window of the café noticing the smoke slowly making its way above the buildings. Quickly, Miko turned on the T.V. just as another explosion shook the café and instantly they saw the ruins of the armored trucks and motorcycles that were protecting the princess on the ground. The camera shook as it tried to focus on a lone white vehicle in the distance before it went up into smoke as another missile exploded on impact, killing everyone in that car. The five of them stayed silent as the sirens of ambulances and police officers echoed throughout the city.

“What did you say about having a break?” Ayato muttered, looking more annoyed than anything. “You fucking jinxed us bitch.”

 


	2. The End of Their World

 

_**Several Minutes before the first attack: Hinami’s POV** _

“Please stay behind the line. Thank you.” Hinami cried as she pushed several people back behind a yellow caution tape as they had run out of metal railings to hold people back from getting too close to the street. She had been here for nearly an hour and it was only now that people decided to test their luck with the students since they were short handed on police officers.

“Man, we need more help. We can’t keep them back with just the student council.” Inko cried as she finished directing a few people back to the crowd as well. “It’s too exhausting!”

“I know what you mean,” Hinami sighed heavily. “What were they thinking, just giving a couple of students to look after three blocks worth of people. We’re not the police, people won’t listen to us as they would to the officers.” Just at that moment, Hinami’s stomach growled loudly causing the ghoul to blush bright red. She had forgotten to eat her monthly dose of human meat to survive for the month and if she didn’t eat some in a couple of days, she could possibly lose control. How could she have forgotten to eat her food?!

“Oh you’re hungry aren’t you? It is past lunch time. Maybe if we can get some extra help, you and me can go and get a quick bite to eat at your Sister’s café.” Inko chuckled causing the ghoul to laugh nervously at the reason Inko came up with. Scratch that, if she was forced to eat human food, she would probably need her meat by tomorrow morning.

“Yeah, some food sounds nice….”

“Oh, look! Inaho, Calm, and Okisuke are on the bridge!” Inko cried as she spotted the trio. “Wait right here, I’ll see if I can convince them to take our shift for a bit. Maybe, Okisuke will offer to buy you lunch~.” Inko teased the ghoul causing her face to return to the bright red color it was moments ago.

“I-inko-chan!”

“Just stand there and look troubled. Okisuke will come to help, no doubt!” Inko smiled before running off to the bridge before Hinami could stutter out any more words.

“Inko-chan, you’re so mean.” Hinami sighed but she couldn’t help but let out a small smile on her lips. “Ah, please don’t cross the line, it’s for your safety.” Hinami cried once more as a pair of kids tried to sneak past her.

“But we just want to get a better view.” They pouted. Had Hinami been younger, she probably would have caved in and let the children do as they pleased, but years with Hide had made her immune to pouts.

“You can get a better view behind the yellow tape.” She sighed, pushing them back. “You shouldn’t you be with your par—guardian anyways?” Hinami almost let out the words parents before she remembered that just like most ghouls, children nowadays were orphaned due to the war nearly fifteen years ago. It was something she could at least sympathize with many of them.

“We don’t have to tell you anything.” They huffed in anger before running back into the crowd earning a heavy sigh from the teenage ghoul.

“Is everything in place?” HInami heard from the crowd just as she was about to head to the other side of the street.

“Affirmative. No one even gave a second glance to our vehicle. The plan is ready to proceed.” Hinami bit her lip as she heard the static voice in the crowd. Over the years, her hearing had improved tremendously, surpassing Miko’s own hearing and Hide’s technology. Her hearing improved so much that she could easily listen to several audio tapes playing in a single room at different volumes all at once and she could hear and remember every single detail it had. Which was a bit disturbing especially since one of those tapes had been the recording of her brother’s torture at Aogiri—courtesy of Hide—when he had planted a tracking device on Kaneki when he first disappeared on the blonde. It was on the lowest volume, but she could still hear his screams over the layers of audio that day. Miko made sure to sharpen her skills after the discovery—she had said it was never a bad idea to hone a skill that didn’t involve violence—and Hinami had never been glad that she could listen to voices with deadly accuracy. Closing her eyes, Hinami focused in on the phone conversation and prayed that she hadn’t missed anything too important.

“Good. Once we finish with our mission, we can return home and be welcomed as knights.”

_Knights? The only knights that I know of are Martains….could they be the Martains that were stranded on Earth when the Hyper Gate was destroyed?_

“Remember, take a photo of the armored car that the princess is in. Once it has the picture, nothing will stop the missiles from hitting its target. We have at least ten if some filthy Terrans decide to play the hero.” Hinami’s heart stopped. Missile? Princess?! But if they were Martians, why would they want to kill their princess?! None of it made sense to the ghoul. Quickly opening her eyes, she searched for the voice in question and when their eyes met—it was the same man she had served earlier this morning at her sister’s café—Hinami couldn’t help but let her eyes widen in shock as she heard the voice over his phone finish his sentence.

“Those stupid Orbital Knights loyal to the Princess will see this as an act of war and finish the Terrans once and for all.”

“Once and for all?” Hinami whispered fearfully as the man on the phone widen his eyes as well, reading her lips and realizing that she had heard his conversation. Snapping his phone shut, he quickly disappeared into the crowd, shaking Hinami from her shock.

_All he needs is a photo of the princess car to send the missile and restart the war that supposedly ended fifteen years ago._ HInami thought as she raced into the crowds, cursing herself as she didn’t remember the man’s smell. There was really no need for her to hunt nowadays so she never bothered to remember people scents anymore. Sure she had thought the man smelled a bit funny in the morning, but she never could have guessed that he was a Martian and that he was part of a conspiracy to assassinate the princess! _I need to find him and stop him from taking the picture!_

Just then, the series of the police sent to guard the princess began to screech loudly—why hadn’t she noticed their arrival sooner—and the crowd began to push themselves forward, eager to catch a glimpse of the soon to be dead princess if Hinami couldn’t reach the assassin in time.

“Please, excuse me! Move, please!” Hinami grunted as she pushed several people out of the way, trying her best to spot the man. She could easily throw them over her shoulder with her ghoul strength but it would probably not be the best idea to draw attention to herself at the moment.

_There!_ She thought as she caught a glimpse of the man’s hair and quickly pushed herself through the crowd. However, she must have taken more time than she thought or the car was traveling much faster than she predicted because just a few feet away from her, the man lifted his phone and quickly took a picture of the passing car smirking as it drove on by; its occupants ignorant of what would befall on them.

“No!” She shouted as she finally pushed passed the remaining humans and quickly pushed the older man back into the wall, surprising him as she snarled angrily at him. “Why did you do that!? Why do you want to kill the princess!?”

 

“So you did hear our conversation….” He muttered before wincing in pain as Hinami pushed him further into the wall. “Did you suspect us when we were in the café?”

“No, I overheard your conversation on the phone and pieced it together.” She growled out, “I don’t know why you plan on killing the princess, but I will not let the Terrans take the blame for your scheme, Martain!”

“You don’t consider yourself a Terran then?” The man smirked, causing Hinami to glare angrily at the man. “Interesting—hing!”

“You’re not going anywhere. You’re going to pay for what you’ve done.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?” He asked, smirking at Hinami. Just then, the whistling of the first missile tore Hinami’s gaze from the Martain giving him a chance to take out a pocket knife and slice at her. Of course Hinami didn’t even feel the weapon—her attention too focused on the missile seconds away from exploding—but that didn’t mean she couldn’t feel him struggle, or smell the fear radiating off him.

“W-what are you?” He muttered, shocked at his bent knife before looking up at the high schooler….monster, in horror.

“Something that you wished you never met.” HInami whispered before stumbling as the first missile hit its target—one of the police trucks that drove aside the armored limousine. Immediately, people began screaming, running, and trying their best to avoid the explosions that seemed to appear every five seconds. Hinami couldn’t keep her grip on the Martian as people ran past her, pushing her and the Martian to get to safety.

_How many missiles did they have just for the princess!?_ Hinami thought, glaring at her empty hand as she tried to search for the Martain in the fleeting crowd before a shrill cry tore her attention away.

“MY BABY!” Looking back at what was left of the street, Hinami could see a small child—one of the children she had pushed behind the caution tape minutes ago—laying on the floor with blood running down the side of his face before slowing pushing himself up. What he didn’t notice was that one of the trucks unfortunate to be caught in the aftershock of one of the explosion was tumbling towards his way.

_He’ll get crushed_ Hinami thought, _He’ll get crushed and die…..he’ll die._ Without even realizing it, Hinami was already running towards the small boy, trying her best to ignore the mouthwatering smell of blood on the child. She knew that showing her Kagune was probably not the best idea when they were trying avoid people finding out their existence, but right now, people were panicking too much to even notice her or trying to see if the princess was alright.

_I have to try and save the princess after this._ Hinami grunted as she slid on the concrete floor—it took more than sliding on concrete to make her feel pain—and quickly placed her body over the small body and released her koukaku—destroying her blazer and shirt at the same time—to shield the body of them as the truck harmlessly rolled over them. Once the truck had rolled over them, she quickly hid her koukaku and looked down at the boy hidden in her arms. She gave her back a small glance and she couldn’t help but sigh heavily at the damage. Thankfully, she had an extra blazer in her bag, so she could swap it out and no one would know.

“You—”

“You should have stayed behind the caution tape silly.” She smiled as she helped him just as the woman who had cried for him earlier rushed in and tightly hugged the child.

“Don’t ever do that! Don’t ever do that again!”

“Where’s the limo the princess is in?” Hinami asked, searching through the wreckage for the sole white vehicle. “Is it safe?”

“It made it past most of the missiles but—” Just then the last missile—at least she hoped it was the last missile—zoomed passed them before going high into the air. Looking past the destroyed vehicles, destroyed road, and clouds of dust, Hinami could see in the distance that the Limo had managed to out drive a majority of missiles only for to turn over. And struggling to escape the car, a blonde girl with a white dressed looked into the sky in despair as the missile slowly closed the distance between them. Hinami could only watch helpless as the car exploded, incinerating everything in its radius. Himani could only closed her eyes in misery as she finally realized what the death of the princess meant for Earth.

“War….we’ll be going to war again…..”

* * *

 

_**3rd POV** _

“Shit…..shit…….mother fucking shit!” Miko shouted as she slammed her hand on the table. “This was never supposed to happen this quickly…..but those damn greedy knights want fucking Earth…”

“What now?” Ken asked standing up and giving her sister a serious look. Sometimes it scared her how much her brother had changed….from the quite and shy boy to the one that could easily take command if he wanted too. “I don’t think you thought to store up food for such an event.”

“I was prepared to stock up if tensions ran up high…but this is too sudden….we don’t have enough food to last for a month for all of us. And if we’re going to be with other people, we can’t exactly wait for them to die….they’ll know the body count and easily realize that someone is taking the bodies….”

“And staying here isn’t a good option.” Hide muttered just as Ayato opened his mouth. “The Orbital Knights must have seen the assassination on T.V. and are probably commencing an attack as we speak. They’re probably going to first land their landing castle which causes enough damage equal to a nuclear attack without the use of radiation.”

“And since their princess was killed in Japan—”

“They’ll most likely land here in this city and even I’m not sure if we could survive the impact, Touka-chan.” Miko answered the indigo haired ghoul weakly. “The only option is to leave with the evacuation crew and find a way to feed ourselves without bringing attention to our existence…”

**Ring-Ring-Ring**

“And that should be Hinami-chan.” Miko muttered as she dug into her pocket before revealing a sleek black phone. She briefly noticed the text Hide had sent to her earlier about the Wolf guy and told herself once they reached a point where they were safe, she would look into it more. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine Miko-nee.” Hinami’s voice echoed into the speaker bringing a smile to Touka and Ken as they heard the young ghoul’s voice for the first time in four years. “But it’s a disaster over here….the princess….it was a plot made up by the Martians!” That easily caught the attention of the ghouls and human in the room. Quickly Miko pressed the speaker on and placed the phone on the table as she took a seat.

“Explain please.”

“The man at your café this morning…I overheard his conversation on the phone with someone else talking about killing the princess and becoming knights. They said it would place the blame on the Terrans and give the Emperor a good reason to resume the fighting.”

“Which would also mean that the Orbital knights that were waiting in the shadows could strike and wreck havoc that they were clearly denied several years ago.” Miko muttered, narrowing her eyes.

“Did you catch—”

“The explosion caused the humans to run into me and I lost him before I could catch him once more.”

“I see…..there’s no way without that man or his cell phone that we can convince the Emperor that this wasn’t our idea. You tired your best Hinami, don’t feel bad about it.” Miko muttered softly, already picturing her guilt stricken face.

“But if I had went to protect the princess—”

“Our secret would have been revealed and we could have been experimented on. Even though that would have halted the war momentarily, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have happened….war was inevitable….”

“I just….feel like I could have done more…..”

“It’s alright Hinami….listen….where are you right now? I have some things to prepare for the obvious evacuation that’s going to happen within the hour.”

“I’m still at the sight….but I’m going to Help Inko-chan, Calm-kun, and O-o-okisuke-kun with the evacuation.” Hinami muttered out, causing a small smirk from the café owner at the small stutter. Two of the ghouls widen their eyes in shock at the obvious crush Hinami had on a certain human.

“Okisuke? You like a human now?!” Ayato sneered earning a slap to his head—courtesy of Touka—and an elbow to the stomach from Ken.

“Shut up Ayato!”

“Please refrain from making comments like that in the future.” Ken and Touka shouted/muttered causing Hide to laugh out loud.

“Touka-nee! Onii-chan! Is that you?!” Hinami cried into the phone. “You’re really here? You finally found us?”

“Yeah, it’s us Hinami-chan.” Touka smiled as she looked at the phone. “We’re finally home…”

“I’m so glad…..so glad.” Hinami muttered, sobbing into the phone. “I thought I would never see you two again.”

“It takes a bit more than a crash landing to get rid of us, Hinami-chan.” Ken smiled softly. “I can’t wait to see how much you’ve grown….”

“As much as I love the reunion, we have limited time to finish preparing.” Miko sighed, earning a pout from Touka and a sigh from both Ken and Hinami. “Hinami, go and help your friends with the evac. Once we’re finished, I’ll call you to pick us up. Hopefully it won’t take too long, but we need to find more food if we want to blend in—” Just then, Miko’s phone lit up, showing the ghouls the no service signal before the loud beeping nose came along with it.

“Fuck….they took away the satellite.” Hide swore as he took a look at his phone and saw the same picture. “I won’t be surprised if it’s like this around the world as well….”

“Make sure your enemy can’t communicate with each other….an effective strategy.” Ken muttered. “Is close rang contact still available.”

“Surprisingly yes.” Miko sighed as she got a new text from Hinami.

_You got cut off but so did everyone else. Just text me when you’re done. I’ll make sure Inko tells the driver to pick you up._

“So at least soldiers can still communicate with each other to coordinate attacks.”

“But that won’t do them any good if they can’t detect enemies miles away.” Hide groaned. “They’ll be like sitting ducks…”

“More food for us then.” Ayato muttered causing Miko to sigh heavily.

“If you haven’t been paying attention to any of the history books about the first Mar-Earth war, then you would know that all, if not most of the bodies were destroyed beyond salvation or burned to a crisp.” Miko growled out, “That means, even if we do happen to come across a battle sight, the chances of finding a body with enough flesh on it to eat is nearly impossible.”

“So what do we do then?”Biting her lip, Miko narrowed her eyes in concentration before sighing heavily at the only option they really had.

“Touka, Ayato….go to the sight of the assassination. There are bound to be people who were killed in the explosion or hit by cars. Hopefully, no one has gotten a full body count at the scene just yet. Get as many bodies as you find or carry and bring them to the café. We’ll have to grind the meat—”

“LALALALA NOT GOING TO HEAR ABOUT YOU MAKING FOOD WITH MEAT THAT IS VERY CLOSE TO MY OWN!!!” Hide shouted loudly as he covered his ears, smiling as Miko hit his shoulder.

“Then make yourself useful and find as many backpacks for us to carry and….coolers and ice….maybe dry ice….to make our food last longer.” She sighed. “Now go! We don’t have much time!”

“Tch, I don’t recall you telling me what the fuck to do.” Ayato sneered before Ken growled out,

“Do it Ayato.” Huffing in anger, Ayato quickly brought out his mask—a black rabbit Miko noted—before Touka pulled out her signature white rabbit mask.

“Be safe.” The café owner muttered as they exited the café and quickly disappeared from view. “Hide—”

“Already on it. I’ll grab Inaho and Yuki’s stuff as well. So keep an eye out for the squirt and his sis.” Hide smiled sadly as he grabbed a black helmet and a set of keys before rushing out of the café. Seconds later, a black motorcycle with an orange streak sped past their café leaving the two siblings alone.

“Let’s go….we need to find a way to package the meat without making it look to suspicious…” Miko sighed as she led her brother up to their apartment.

“What, a brown package that smells like ground beef isn’t normal?” Ken chuckled, avoiding a fist to his head.

“Welcome back book nerd.” Miko smiled softly to her brother.

“It’s good to be back….Onee-san.”

* * *

 

_**Inaho’s POV** _

Contrary to what his friends believed, he wasn’t completely emotionless during situations. He just didn’t let them show on his face. After all, someone had to stay calm in situations and he couldn’t rely on adults all the time. So when he saw the incoming missile on the window of a nearby building, he could feel the dread pooling in his stomach. He knew who the missile was for and if everything ended in the assassination’s favor, then war would come to greet them in a matter of hours.

“What going on!?” Inko cried as the first missile exploded on an unfortunate truck, sending it to the crowd of people. “Why are there missiles!?”

“Wait isn’t Hinami-chan down there somewhere!?” Okisuke shouted as he frantically searched for the brunette in the crowd of people. “What if she—”

“Another missile!” Calm shouted as one more exploded near the limousine—luckily it managed to swerve away in time and break away from the small cage of cars that could have held it in place. Three more missiles came upon the armored Limo before it finally turned over and crashed just a bit further from the bridge that could have provided it cover.

“She made it out!” Calm cried as a blonde girl—looking to be around their age—with a white dress stumbled out of the overturned limo and staggered a couple of feet before collapsing onto the ground.

“No….” Inaho muttered as he spotted the final missile coming down on her. They could only watch in horror as it exploded right on top of the princesses, incinerating her and the limousine behind her. For several seconds, the streets were quiet, disturbingly so as the fire from the explosion crackled…as if laughing in their face at the destruction it had caused.

“Everyone, please head home and began gathering your stuff!” Hinami shouted out, snapping everyone from the hypnotizing flames of the final explosion. Many turned to her with confused or scared looks. However, she didn’t looked the bit shaken up, if anything….Inaho thought she was about to face an adversary, stronger than she was and was carefully planning out her next move. “The Vers Empire will see this as an act of war and I’m very sure they are preparing to land their landing castles as we speak. They will only seek justice through revenge. They won’t care if we offer an investigation for the cause of their princess death, they will merely act out of impulse! So the best set of action right now is to survive, to survive and find the real truth about the princess and make the Martians see reason!” Hinami shouted, her eyes burning with conviction Inaho had never seen before.

He knew Hinami lied to them about her past,  especially her childhood, but he knew that despite lying to them,she did indeed suffered a great deal, probably more than any of his friends and him had. Her eyes always had a haunting look in them, not matter how much she smiled and it made him wonder just what could have happened to make Hinami like that? And was it because of her past that made Hinami strong in a situation like this?

“When did Hinami-chan get soo….” Inko muttered, staring in shock at her friend as the brunette began talking to police, most likely to set up the evacuation for the area.

“Cool?” Okisuke chuckled, giving the girl he crushed on—everyone knew about the crush both had on each other expect for each other—a soft smile. “She sure is something….”

“We should follow her advice then.” Inaho muttered, bringing the three of them back to reality. “The Martians would have seen this as an act of war and will act accordingly.”

“I’ll help out Hinami with the evacuation then.” Inko jumped up, and despite her determined look, Inaho could see in her eyes that she was frightened. And she had all the reason to be. They would be going to a war they thought they would never have to live through. To fight in….

_Yuki-nee will most likely have to fight as well_ ….Inaho thought, feeling the pool of dread in his stomach grow larger as he pictured his sister’s unmoving body before he mentally shook his head of the negative thoughts. _She may be an airhead at times, but she’s a fighter._

“I’ll come with you!” Okisuke shouted, “We can’t let the lovely Hinami-chan do all the work!”

“You coming as well then Inaho?” Calm asked as the other two began running down the bridge. “I brought most of my stuff that I need in my bag so I’m good to go.”

“I need to head home and prepare some things for me and Yuki-nee.” He muttered, looking at his phone briefly. He frowned as he saw the no signal sign flashing at the corner of his phone. It seems that the Martians were already attacking the UE.

“You’re sister going to pick you up then?”

“That was the plan we spoke about if such a thing ever happened.” Inaho said, pocketing his phone and grabbed his bag. “I’ll see you at the evacuation center then.”

“Alright dude. Just be careful.” Calm sighed as he ran after the two, leaving Inaho alone to walk back to his apartment he shared with his sister. Just as he was about to leave the scene of the assassination, he noticed a strange number of bodies missing. If he recalled correctly….several bodies were thrown to the side of building—nearly hidden from sight—but…..it seemed that nearly if not all bodies were missing. If it wasn’t for his uncanny observation skill, he would have completely missed that Hinami was deliberately directing the people away from the bodies from the building….

_Strange_ ….Inaho thought as he made a note to himself to avoid the area when he got off the bridge. _It seems that Hinami knows something about the bodies….I will have to ask her about that when we are in a safer location._

“But why would she direct even the authorities from there as well?” He muttered before he spotted a black blur, grabbing one of the bodies and retreating back to the shadows. He also noticed now Hinami turned her head—as if she knew who was there—and smiled softy. It seemed that she knew these people that were strangely hunting bodies. He recalled Hinami’s guardian—Hide—telling them horror stories about monsters that fed on humans….if he recalled correctly, he used the term Ghoul before switching it to zombie when Miko kicked him in the leg.

_Ghouls do not exist_ Inaho thought, _They are merely a legend people made up to explain cannibalism in modern day society. Still…_.Inaho couldn’t help but glance at Hinami once more before leaving to finish packing. _And if Hinami was a cannibal….how should I proceed?_

“They’re closed?” Inaho muttered, looking impassively at the closed sign, hanging just outside of the coffee shop. “I suppose that’s reasonable, considering the events that just happened—” Inaho was surprised to see a white haired man look up from one of the tables, before he calmly opened the door for him. Wearing nothing but black clothing—Inaho was sure he was even wearing a black leather body suit—many would probably have interpreted him as strange or even gothic, but Inaho knew better. Despite having white hair, he looked young….possibly in his late twenties or so. If anything he looked—

“You must be Inaho-kun. Miko-nee talked about you.” The white haired man spoke—almost as monotone as him—before giving him a small smile.

“You must be her younger brother…..Kaneki Ken I assume?” Inaho muttered, finally piecing together the pieces. Now that he got a better look at the adult, he had the same facial feature Miko had, right down to the silver eyes. But did her family have a genetic disorder? He never heard of people, especially as young as Miko and the man before him, with pure white/grey hair. Stress could be a logical reason, but for the entire hair to have turned white…..they both would have to have been under extreme stressful conditions.

“Right. I just got in today…..what luck huh.” The man—Ken—chuckled lightly. “If you want, I can brew you a cup of coffee while you wait.”

“It’s fine. I have to go home and—”

“Hide’s already on his way back with you and your sister’s stuff.” Miko announced, coming down the stairs with a large backpack on her back. It looked like she was carrying more than clothes in there….

“That’s considering breaking and entering, Miko-san.” Inaho muttered, as he placed his bag down while Miko’s brother went to brew coffee. Did coffee brewing run in their family as well?

“He has a spare key. Besides, it saves you time from walking. Plus, you get another cup of free coffee from the coffee master himself.” Miko smiled brightly as she unlocked a cabinet with a large variety of coffee.

“You plan on bringing coffee?” Inaho observed as the café owner placed several unopened coffee beans and a grinder in the bag of hers. “You may need to lay it off.”

“Trust me, coffee is like alcohol to us.” Miko chuckled nervously. “Since I’m sure where we’re going is going to have a very limited amount of coffee, I have to slowly get my family un addicted. Complete withdrawal from coffee….even Hinami-chan will act out.”

“I see…..” The high school student muttered before a cup of coffee was placed before him. Looking up, he could see the white haired adult smiling down on him. “I hope it’s to your liking.” And without another word, the younger Kaneki turned and returned to the upper floor of the apartment where he was most likely getting his items. Not wanting to waste a good cup of coffee, Inaho took a sip and was surprised at the new…..texture. It had the same flavor—he had noticed that Miko’s brother used the same coffee beans Miko used—but the texture to it was….

“It’s different than mine huh.” Miko chuckled, snapping Inaho from his daze. “I told you before about brewing coffee right? Depending how you handle the beans, you could end up with a totally different flavor if you mixed it in different ways. Hey….I know this is a bit random, but can I ask you….how does Ken’s coffee’s taste like to you?”

“How it tastes?” Inaho asked as Miko gave him a small nod. “It tastes…..like home…..” Inaho muttered, surprised at his answer. He was never the one to get emotional, but he couldn’t deny his answer. When he had drank Ken’s coffee….he instantly thought of home….where he was with Yuki-nee and his parents that he couldn’t even remember that well. He felt….whole, safe….

“Is that so….thanks.” Miko smiled. “Oh that must be Hide with your things. Can you help him grab the stuff? I need to make sure Ken doesn’t pack anything unnecessary.” Miko smiled at him before rushing up the stairs right behind her brother.

“Oh hey Inaho. You made it back in one piece then huh.” Hide smiled as he entered the shop—a bag in one hand while his other arm held his black helmet. “I got yours and your sister’s stuff, but I only got two hands….so can I get some help?” He chuckled before Inaho nodded. He should make sure that Hide got everything they would need especially his—

“And don’t worry, I made sure to grab your tablet as well.” Hide chuckled as he saw Inaho’s face. “Where’s Miko?”

“She went upstairs to help her brother finish packing.” Inaho muttered as he calmly went to grab his bag and his sister’s. A quick look was all he needed to see that Hide had indeed brought everything they needed.

“Ah! You finally met Kaneki huh! Isn’t he so shy?” Hide smiled brightly. “While I’m glad we finally found each other, it sucks that we have to evacuate.”

“Does Hinami know that he’s back?” Inaho asked, as he swiped through his tablet and quickly typed down his observations during the assassination.

“Yeah, she called just before the phone lines went dead.” Hide smiled softy. “Man, we were going to have a party and everything.”

“Which we will still have when we meet up with her at the evacuation center.” Miko called out as she ran down the steps. “You got the—”

“As your loyal delivery boy, I never fail to bring in any items you ask for madam.” Hide bowed as he presented the large backpack on his back to Miko. Just then, the phone in the café rang, earning curious looks from the three of them. Weren’t the phones not working?

“I got it.” Miko sighed as she picked up the phone. “Anteiku café……oh Yuki, how are you do—yes he’s with me. He just got here a couple minutes ago……..sure I’ll pass it to him.”

“Inaho, it’s your sister. She wants to have a few words with you.” She said as she gave him the phone before dragging Hide upstairs. “Just call us when you’re done.” Nodding, Inaho wordlessly placed the phone next to his ear. Already he could hear the frantic shouts of other soldiers along with orders from superiors and engines roaring. It’s a wonder how Yuki-nee managed to find the time to even call him.

“Yuki-nee?”

“Nao-kun! Are you alright? I know you were at the parade—”

“I’m fine, we were on one of the bridges. None of the missiles hit us.” He reassured his sister earning a relieved sigh from her.

“Thank god….”

“Hey Yuki-nee…..are you on your way back? The plan was to leave by car right?” Inaho asked earning a heavy sigh from her sister.

“I got put on standby so I can’t leave…..wait is that why you’re still at Miko-san’s café!? Why didn’t you evacuate with everyone else!? And why hasn’t Miko-san evacuated yet either!?”

“Oh….I could have done that….” Inaho muttered, realizing that perhaps maybe coming home wasn’t exactly the best decision he made. But he did need his tablet…..

“Make decisions as the circumstance dictate! If you have to, trust your gut and make the call! Haven’t I been telling you this?” Yuki sighed across the phone. “I’ll leave when Miko is finished packing.” Inaho answered. “Apparently her brother just arrived this morning so they were catching up until the evacuation call came out.”

“What?! Her brother!? She has a brother?!”

“I did say that.” “Nao-kun! Just….I would feel better if you left sooner though…”

“I can arrange that.” Miko said as she plucked out the phone from Inaho. Sometimes he wondered how she managed to make her presence unknown until she revealed herself. And wasn’t she going to give him privacy? “I can have Hide take him to one of the patrols in the area…..don’t worry about me, I’m still waiting on my brother’s friends to return……yeah……don’t worry……..Hide’s a very good driver thank you very much…..ok. Stay safe Yuki….I’ll him that….alright….bye.”

“I’m assuming that she told me to be careful?” Inaho asked, before Miko nodded to him.

“Yeah. So you know the plan now. Hide’s going to take you to one of the patrols in the area….I think Hinami said she was helping Inko, Calm, and Okisuke with one of the last one? Text her that you’ll meet her at Main street. Hide will take you there and the both of you will wait until they come and pick you up. Understand?” She said, looking at Hide specifically as he came down with his own signature yellow and black backpack.

“I got, I got it.” Hide sighed. “Well, little man, let’s go.”

“Will you be alright?” Inaho couldn’t help but ask as Miko gave him a smirk. “Of course we will be. Kaneki’s are very hard to get rid of…..trust me. We’ll meet up before you know it. Now, get going, or I’ll never hear the end of it from your sister.” Pushing the two boys out the café, Inaho suddenly found himself wearing one of Hide’s spare helmets before he had to grab a hold of Hide as he turned on his bike.

“See you guys later!” Hide shouted over the roar of the engine before pulling out from the café and towards their destination. However, before they left, Inaho saw the same black blur at the assassination area jump into one of the windows just above the café and he couldn’t help but wonder if Miko also knew these black blurs. _Then does that mean Hide knows about it too?_

* * *

 

“Looks like I forgot to check the gas before I left….sorry about that Inaho-kun.” Hide chuckled as he and the brunette boy stared at the useless motorcycle.

“At least you drove us more than halfway. From here, it’s about a ten minute walk until Main street.” Inaho answered as he picked up his bag and began walking.

“Hey don’t leave me, Inaho-kun!” Hide complained, before running after the brunette. “You sure you don’t hate me?”

“That’s absurd. If I hated you, then I wouldn’t have mentioned that your gas was low before we left.” He couldn’t help but smirk as Hide nodded before realizing the words Inaho had just said.

“Wait you knew!? Why didn’t you tell me!?”

“Watching you get scolded by Miko and my sister is very entertaining.”

“You do hate me then! Meanie!” Hide cried as he clutched his heart. “Oh the pain! Hinami-chan, why are you friends with a such a cruel person!”

“Speaking of Hinami,” Inaho began, realizing his opportunity to ask some…..questions, “Are you sure she’ll be alright when we get to the evacuation center?”

“Huh? Whatcha mean?” Hide asked, folding his arms behind his head. “She’s not claustrophobic if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Not that. It seems that Hinami and Miko have a very special diet and I don’t think that any of the evacuation centers can provide for them seeing that everything will be rationed.” Inaho answered, noticing how Hide stiffened slightly when he mentioned diet. So he does know something about them…..but what?

“Diet huh. I guess that’s one way to put it.” Hide chuckled. “That’s very perspective of you to notice that. What made you realize that?”

“At school, Hinami always brings her own lunch, but even then, the amount she brings is very little to what a normal teenager needs to function properly during the day. She hardly goes out to eat with us and when we manage to drag her, she either just orders water or nothing at all. I’m sure Miko feeds her at home since she never has any signs of malnutrition. And even though I don’t know Miko’s eating pattern, I have a feeling it’s similar since Hinami is always trying to copy Miko in some way or another.”

“Hmmm…..that’s a very good deduction from just observing Hinami….but honestly how long have you thought that Hinami had a different diet than you guys?” Hide asked, giving the young high schooler a side glance.

“Just a couple of months after Hinami became our friends. I never asked about it because it wasn’t my place to pry. But now that food will most likely be rationed—”

“Don’t worry about them.” Hide interrupted surprising Inaho. While Hide did like to cause trouble from time to time, he was never rude. He usually waited for people to finish—unless he was purposely messing with them—their sentences but….now that Inaho got a good look at him, he could feel the slight hostility coming from the blonde young man. “Trust me. They’re be fine. And if they really trust you…..then you’ll find out the reason for their strange diet.”

“So it isn’t a normal diet then.”

“It’s all just a perspective really. To us it’s normal diet but to you it might be strange.” Hide shrugged. “But it doesn’t change the people they are.”

_So this diet might make me think differently of them….strange…yet intriguing._

“I assume if I continue to ask you about their diets you will either divert the conversation to another topic or ignore me right out?” Inaho asked earning a foxy smile from the blonde.

“Bingo…..hey…..are those kids from your school?” Hide asked as he noticed two girls hurryingly running underneath a bridge. Inaho scrunched his eyebrows a bit as he tried to recall the faces in his school before coming blank.

“I don’t think so….they may be tourists that came for the Princess goodwill trip and got lost….”

“Well, we shouldn’t leave two lovely ladies by themselves! Come on Inaho-kun!” Hide cheerfully cried as he pulled the younger brunette where the two girls had run towards. It was only when they were about five feet away from them did Inaho realize that even though they looked lost, they certainly didn’t want any help if the younger girl’s glare was any indication. However, he couldn’t clearly see their faces features due to the shadows. “Hello lovely ladies.” Hide began as he gave them his signature smile. “Do you guys need some help?”

“Are you lost?” Inaho muttered as he pushed Hide away as the two girls began to step back from Hide’s overly enthusiastic greeting. “This whole area is under evacuation….” He took a couple of steps forward so see if he could perhaps recognize them before the girl grabbed his hand.

“I’m sorry…” She whispered as Inaho saw a flash of silver. However, things happened too fast for the brunette to even comprehend what happened until it was all over. He wasn’t held at knife point, nor was he on the ground. Instead, the girl that had grabbed him was pinned against Hide as he held the knife close to her throat instead.

“Hime—”

“I’m actually going to assume that you were going to use Inaho as a hostage so that I wouldn’t try anything.” Hide muttered, his eyes narrowed giving him a look of seriousness for once. “But you really don’t know how to use a knife…..in fact I bet you really don’t even like violence unless you absolutely have to use it.”

“Yes….” She muttered. “I thought I had the element of surprise…”

“On someone normal….yeah it would have worked but I’m far from normal girl. Now, could you tell me why you were planning on using my dear friend as a hostage?” Hide asked. Inaho saw both girls were shivering with fright and if he were honest…he would be slightly as well. Hide was never serious….never violent….so too see this side of him…..just what kind of past did he have? “We’re not going to hurt you.” Hide continued. “Just answer my question and I’ll let you go.”

“We just wanted to know about the evacuation. What does it mean?” The girl held by Hide muttered causing him to relax his grip a bit more.

“They say Tokyo has fallen due to Martian Attacks.” Inaho answered. “And this district is in danger as well so an evacuation was in order.”

“We just want to inform our people that we are safe. Is there a place we can do that?” She asked as Hide let her go—he kept the knife Inaho noted. Quickly, the smaller girl went to her side whispering questions as the Brunette girl merely shook her head. It was only after physically checking that she was unharmed, that the small girl stop asking questions and settled for a glare on Hide.

“Considering everything that has happened, that’s unlikely.” Hide sighed. “Not to mention communication between nations have been cut due to the assassination of Princess Asseylum—”

“Princess Asseylum—” Hide and Inaho were a bit surprise at the outburst….perhaps she was a loyal fan? No, not likely. Realizing her outburst, the girl continued in a smaller voice. “The real Princess is still alive. She fell ill at the change of gravity during her descent. A double was sent in her place instead as suggested by her security.”

“That is a novel hypothesis….” Inaho muttered as the gears in his mind began working. It wasn’t unheard of for doubles to take place of people—especially if they were hated—and this girl….it sounded too much like a coincidence but it could be possible…..

“But if you really want to contact your people, your best bet would be the UE Embassy.” Hide spoke up, his eyes twinkling for a moment before he closed them for an eye smile. “We’re gonna get a ride at one of the patrolling evacuation trucks which will take us to the ferry to the UE Embassy. . You’re welcome to join us.” The two girls looked warily at Hide—Inaho couldn’t blame them…he did overpower the girl within seconds and held her at knife point—before looking at him. He tried to give them a reassuring smile but he had a feeling it looked like his normal stare, which Hinami had told him several times that it looked very unwelcoming.

“Very well….please take us there.”

Huh….maybe he wasn’t a hopeless cause as Hinami thought he was.

* * *

 

_ **Hinami’s POV** _

“Hide-nii!” Hinami cried as she opened the door to let in her guardian. She was beginning to worry that they would have to leave her family behind when the driver had announced they were going to head towards the ferry. It was a miracle that Hide texted her about meeting on Main Street. “I was beginning to think you were going to get out with your motorcycle!”

“Well, I probably would have, if someone had reminded me of my nearly empty gas tank.” Hide complied as he gave the young ghoul a small hug. “Hey you guys got extra room for two more?”

“Um yeah….” Himani muttered as she looked behind her blonde guardian too see an impassive Inaho and….two girls? However, a quick sniff told the young ghoul that they weren’t Terran….they had the nearly the same smell as that man….except their scent was stronger. Much stronger. “Of course!” Hinami forced herself to smile as she made room for them to climb aboard. “Where’s Onee-san and everyone else?”

“They said they’re still finishing packing. Miko has a car. Don’t worry, they’ll get out.” Hide smiled as he took seat near the front as the truck resumed its route. “Hey Inko-chan! Calm-kun, Okisuke-kun! Having fun?”

“As much fun as it is looking for people, Hide-san.” Calm sighed.

“Ooo~ Can I take your place?”

“Sure go for it.”

“Calm! You can’t….” Drowning out the rest of the conversation, Hinami returned her attention to the strange girls Inaho brought—she would never had thought the day would come when Inaho could grab even one girl’s attention. They chose to sit in the back where several other families huddled against each other and the smallest one kept sending worried glances at the older brunette girl who merely have her small smile. However, despite their innocent look, it did not change the fact that they were Martains and at the moment all Martains were the enemy.

_It looks like I’ll need to talk to them to get any more information out of them…_ Hinami thought as she placed her brightest smile and calmly walked towards them.

“Hey, I’m sorry if Hide-nii kind of overwhelmed you.” Hinami began catching their attention, “He tends to—”

_Stop! Stop! DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!_ Something shouted in her mind forcing Hinami to stop midway. _STEP BACK! AWAY GET AWAY!_

“Um…is something the matter?” The brunette girl asked as she leaned forward. Without even meaning to, Hinami could feel her Kakugan slowly reveal itself before she hurriedly turned around and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, Hinami forced herself to calm down so that her Kakugan wouldn’t fully form or worse, reveal her Kagune.

_But why? Why did it feel dangerous to go even near that girl?_ Hinami thought as she finally opened her eyes only to see Hide giving her a concern look. _Why? I’ve never felt this from anyone else before! Not even from the Martian earlier today_!

“Are you ok Hinami?” Inaho asked, snapping the young ghoul from her thoughts.

“Y-yeah…..I just felt dizzy for a moment. Nothing bad.” Hinami chuckled nervously as she calmly walked away from the two girls. The farther she stayed…..perhaps the better.

“You haven’t eaten yet have you.” Hide muttered, giving her a knowing look.

“N-no….I’ll eat when we meet up with Onee-san.” Hinami smiled softly earning a nod from Hide.

“Are you sure you’re alright? You looked more scared than dizzy.”

“I’m fine Nao-kun.” Himai smiled. “But thanks for worrying.” Inaho looked like he wanted to say something else when the truck suddenly halted to a stop. Several people began whispering amongst themselves and for a frightful moment, Hinami could barely hear the thumping sounds of a Kataphrakt. Usually she was aware of her surrounding…..she could hear nearly everything and anything, but for once she had been kept in the dark….like a human.

_Just what is that girl?_ Hinami thought as she gave a frightful look to the Brunette. _How can she even affect me like this?_

“Take this girl and floor it!” Yuki’s voice echoed through the radio before the whirling sound of the Kataphrakt echoed loudly outside the truck. Immediately, Calm, and Inaho rushed out of the armored truck to grab the girl Yuki had brought.

“What’s going on Warrant Kaizuka!” Calm shouted as he grabbed the girl and immediately pushed her towards the truck. Hinami quickly let her hand out for the red head girl to take before she smelled the Martian man on her.

_No….it’s not on her…..it’s similar to hers…..could this be his daughter? But why? Why is she alone? And why does she look so…..devastated….like I did when mom died?_

“Just hop to it!” Yuki’s voiced echoed before a barrage of bullets filled the empty streets of Shingawara. Just as Inaho and Calm safely made it back in did Hinami see the enemy Yuki was fighting. The ghoul couldn’t help but gasp in fear at the size of it—easily two times the size of a normal Kataphrakt—and it didn’t even look like it was taking any damage from Yuki’s machine gun. Yuki kicked the armored truck away from the fight, but it had cost her Kataphrakt a leg as the Martian swung it’s arm and easily destroyed—absorbed, incinerate, Hinami didn’t know—it, leaving Yuki on the floor defenseless.

“Yuki-san!” Hinami cried as the Martain Kataphrakt sung once more, this time sending Yuki flying to their truck.

“Old man!” Hinami heard Inko cry and she turned around just to see the driver’s seat empty. It was only seconds later the truck had a large dent coming in from the roof and Hinami only had to guess that Yuki had landed on top of them.

_Oh shit, things are really going downhill….what do I do? What should I do?! If I don’t do anything we all might die!_

“Fuck! Let’s get out of here!” Hide shouted as he immediately took the wheel and floored the gas pedal, saving them—and Yuki—from another attack. Barely.

“Hide-san! We have to go faster!” Okisuke shouted as Hide gritted his teeth in concentration, shifting gears rapidly.

“I’m trying, but we have too much weight!” He shouted, swerving to the right to avoid another hit from the Martian. Most of her friends had to hold onto to something to catch their balance, but Hinami stood there as she looked at the frightened people in the truck. Many of them were whispering prayers, others begging for mercy and the Martain red head girl looked frightened….she had to help in some way. But how?

“He’s going to catch up!”

“I fucking know that!” Hide shouted doing a sharp turn before straightening out. “But I’m not going to leave Yuki-chan behind!”

“Brake.” Inaho muttered, without bothering to look at Hide as he focused his gaze on the Martain through the passenger window.

“What?” Calm muttered, wide eye at his brunette friend.

“You’re joking!”

“You sure?” Hide grunted as he made another hard swerve to avoid another hit. Hinami had to grab Okisuke as he lost his balance. If it had been another time, she would have blushed at the close contact, but they were in a life and death situation, she couldn't afford to loose her concentration over something so small.

“Nao-kun never lies Hide-nii!” Hinami shouted pushing her crush back to the front, “Brake!”

“Alright!” Hide shouted as he slammed his foot on the gas pedal, forcing the truck to come to a screeching halt, letting the Martain Kataphrakt get even closer. Hinami could hear the passengers whispering even louder about their actions and some of them began crying.

“When Nao-kun?!” Hinami shouted as Inaho continued to look through out the side window.

“Hit the gas pedal!” He shouted earning a smirk from Hide.

“Now you’re talking!” He shouted before pulling away, much faster than before. The four of them could only enjoy their small triumph for a moment before Hinami loosened her tie and made her way to the emergency Hatch. They still needed to make sure one more person was out of harm’s way.

“Hinami-chan, let me do it!” Okisuke shouted as he pulled the young ghoul down. “It’s dangerous!”

“And it’s equally just as dangerous to you!” Hinami shouted. “I’m not going to just stand by and hope that Yuki-san’s Kataphrakt doesn’t fall off!”

“Fine, but go after me alright.” Okisuke smiled as he quickly climbed through the hatch, thankfully missing Hinami’s blush. “And hang onto something! It’s pretty windy!”

“Hide-nii, please try not to do any tight turns or swerves.” Himani said as Inaho wordless followed Okisuke. She knew that nothing she would say would stop Inaho, it was his sister after all…..if she was in his position, she would do the exact same thing as Inaho.

“Got it Hinami-chan!” Hide said as he gave her a salute without taking his view off the road. “Be careful….all of you.”

“Besides…..I think we lost him.” Inko sighed in relief as she looked out the window. But Hinami didn’t feel great about that. The Kataphrakt could easily absorb—destroy, incinerate—objects as if they were nothing. He could easily jump through the buildings to cut them off….

“Shit he found us!” Hide shouted as the heavy steps of the Kataphrakt thundered even closer than before causing Hide to lose his control on the wheel for a moment.Hinami cursed herself for jinxing the entire truck.

“AHHH!!!!” Hinami heard Okisuke cry, sending chills down her spine.

“Okisuke!” Hinami shouted as she hurriedly climbed up the latch, only see to Okisuke grabbing a hold onto Inaho’s arm as he held onto the safety cable for dear life. The terror on Okisuke face made Himani sick to her stomach as she saw the Kataphrakt coming in closer. It only made it worse when she saw Okisuke’s hand slipping from Inaho’s grip.

“Inaho….” She heard him whimper as he gave his friend a tearful gaze before turning on her. “Hinami-chan…..I…I…..I lov—“

“Need a hand?” A sinister voice snarled in Hinami’s ear before the Kataphrakt took a heavier step than usual causing the truck to jump and that was all it took for Okisuke to lose his grip on Inaho entirely. The world moved in slow motion for Hinami as she saw her fried….crush….fly towards his certain death, looking at them desperately, asking to be saved. Memories of her parents’ death—her mother’s especially—her brother’s state after Aogiri, Onee-san’s mentality after they rescued her from the CCG……flashed right before her eyes causing Hinami’s eye to water. She wasn’t able to save her mother because she was too weak, she couldn’t save her brother because she was weak, she couldn’t save her sister because she was weak…she was a weak and pathetic ghoul.

_You’re weak, weak! Pathetic! Disgusting! How can you possible save anyone in your state. Stand up and fight or do you want everyone you care about die?_

_NONONONONONONONONONO!! I DON’T WANT TO LOSE SOMEONE I CARE ABOUT! NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN!_

_But it is happening again and you can’t do anything about it._

“OKISUKE!!!!”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Here is chapter two. Tell me what you guys think.


	3. Shattered Illusisons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the late update. I meant to have this up last week but I couldn't get the action scenes right. I had to rewrite this chapter a couple of times before I was satisfy with it. Even then I'm still meh about this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it though and sorry if there's any miss grammar mistakes.

_**3rd POV** _

“That should last us for a while.” Miko muttered as she finished placing the last package of meat into her backpack—where it sat with others in a cooler—before stuffing several articles of clothing and a fox mask and quickly zipped it up. “I didn’t expect that many bodies….”

“How did you even manage to get so many?” Ken asked as raised an eyebrow at the two siblings.

“I used to do this shit in Aogiri when I first joined.” Ayato shrugged as he hurled his bag over his shoulder as if it didn’t carry about thirty pounds of grounded flesh. “And it wasn’t all the bodies. We had some snacks on the way.”

“Well….I guess I can’t get mad at you for eating.” Miko sighed as she rubbed her forehead in annoyance. Were little brothers this hard to handle? If so, she was so glad that Ken was a good child and listened her. However, she had to give props to Ayato and Touka, at least they didn’t make that much of a mess……

“Has Hinami texted you if they picked up Hide and Inaho-kun yet?” Miko’s brother asked as he adjusted his backpack straps and Miko had to stifle a laugh. She hadn’t seen her brother wear a backpack like that in ages and it instantly reminded her how cute he was back then. “Hey, I know you’re picturing me back in my elementary days. Stop it.”

“But I can’t help it.” She chuckled. “You looked so adorable back then. Mom said that all the other moms were jealous at your natural cuteness.”

“Natural Cuteness? Got a secret you want to tell us shitty man?” Ayato laughed while Touka snickered at the mental picture. Miko couldn’t blame them, after all the Ken they knew was stoic, calm, kind, and well a leader. The Ken she remembered was shy, adorable, cute, and just huggable. It would be hard to even picture him smiling as brightly as he did before with his new features. “Shut up.” Ken muttered as he looked away just as red blushed his cheeks.

“But to answer your question, no, Hinami hasn’t texted me anything just yet….” Miko muttered as she looked outside her café. It was a bit strange for her….the streets were never this quiet or empty during this time of day. It gave the city an ominous feeling which didn’t sit well with her.

“Hey do you hear that?” Touka asked, narrowing her eyes as she looked outside the café. “It sounds like…..”

“Gunfire…” Ayato grunted. “It looks like the fight already begun. We better get the fuck moving then.” “Text Hinami and see where they’re at.” Miko ordered her brother as she quickly opened the door—not before checking if the coast was clear—before going into a light jog towards the peer. Hopefully, Hinami, Hide, and the others were already on their way. And if not…..she just prayed that they didn’t do anything stupid.

“Hey…..it stopped….” Ken muttered looking behind him where the gunfire first started.

“The gunfire?” Touka asked, “It couldn’t have been over that quickly…..could it?” She looked towards Miko who couldn’t help but bite her lip in worry. If the fight had indeed ended that quickly….just how powerful were those Martian Kataphrakts? And….was Yuki part of that platoon? She did say she was part of the reserve team.

“I smell smoke.” Ayato muttered, “They must have exploded then.”

“This really doesn’t sit well with me….” Miko muttered as she came to a stop. “I’m going to get a better look on the roof.” She said as she quickly activated her Rinkaku and vaulted herself to the top of the roof. The other three quickly followed suit and within seconds, the four of them had landed on the roof before they gasped at the sight that greeted them.

“No….way….” Miko muttered out, her eyes wide in shock as she saw the battle scene about a couple of miles away. Dozens of UE Kataphrakt lay broken on the floor; others were missing pieces, while the remaining were surrounded in smoke. But it wasn’t the destruction of the Kataphrakts that made the ghouls uneasy. It was the surrounding area around. The bridge and buildings were missing chucks of their structure that were unnaturally, smooth and round. What even made it more terrifying was that there was no evidence of the missing pieces anywhere.

“How do fucking parts of buildings disappear like that?!” Ayato shouted. “It’s not even on the fucking ground for shits sake!”

“And it’s so smooth….it was definitely not an explosion then.” Touka muttered, narrowing her one visible eye. “I don’t think even Kagunes can even make that smooth of a cut.”

“It must be a Martian Kataphrakt then.” Ken answered looking towards his sister. “Do you happen to know which one?”

“Sadly the information on Martians and their Kataphrakts are very limited. I don’t even think the UE army knows how many Martian Kataphrakt the Vers empires has in total….” Miko muttered, clenching her fists tightly. If the UE army didn’t even stand a chance a Martian Kataphrakt….could they?

“Then how do the fucking humans even plan to win the war?” Ayato asked. “Because clearly they don’t even know the extent of their enemy’s power. And I’m sure they can’t even compete against it.”

“Honestly…..I don’t even know.” Miko muttered before something in the distance caught her eye. It looked something similar to a Kataphrakt expect that it was much larger—probably heavier as well—and purple. Not to mention it had a similar shape to the misshapen buildings—

“Do you see those things in the sky?” Ken asked, prompting the other to look at him. Just like Miko, he was staring off into the distance, expect his eyesight was a bit higher than hers. Squinting, Miko tried to make out the shapes her brother obviously saw in the sky only to come up empty.

“Huh….what the fuck are those things anyways?” Ayato muttered.

“They look like those drone planes back on our world…well planet.” Touka answered, squinting her eye as well.

“Ok, can someone describe them because obviously I can’t see them.” Miko sighed heavily. How did she end up with the worst eyesight for a ghoul? Sure it was better than most humans, but compared to her brothers and other ghouls….well….

“There are several flying objects around the purple Martian Kataphrakt.”Ken answered, “They are probably there to somehow help it, in what way, I don’t know.”

“But he clearly doesn’t want anyone to see them so they’re pretty high up.” Touka continued. “We can probably rule out a possible weapon then?”

“Not likely. It could just give it more range being higher than normal.” Miko sighed as she closed her eyes in thought.

“Hey….I think that thing was the one who caused all the fucking damage.” Ayato pointed out just as the Martian Kataphrakt calmly turned around and walked through a building—It’s little flying troop, flying a bit ahead of it—giving the structure the same abnormal hole they just witnessed.

“How in the world….” Touka gasped out as the four of them watched as half of the building disappeared into nothing as the Martian Kataphrakt continued its way.

“It must be one of the powers of the Aldnoah Drive…” Miko growled out. “You think that the UE tech is amazing, well, the Vers Empire is at least ten times better than the UE. I wouldn’t be surprised if they managed to figure out a way to make portable black holes honestly.”

“But that would most likely end in disaster.” Ken muttered, “I don’t think there’s enough power to even properly control a black—”

“It was just an example Ken.” Miko sighed, chuckling a bit. “But….like I said, these Martian Kataphrakts are powerful and they are capable of doing things we can never even imagine…and when the time comes, it’s going to be a hell of a fight. But luckily for now, we’re going to avoid that thing and come up with a more effective strategy later.”

“And if that thing is chasing a truck?” Ayato asked, “You still want us to leave it alone?”

“Of course, we have—wait chasing a truck?!” Miko shouted at the youngest ghoul who merely shrugged at her outburst.

“Yeah, it seems pretty intent on destroying that sucker. But if you made up your mind—”

“AYATO!” Touka and Ken shouted barely missing the young ghoul as he barely dodged their hits.

“How the hell did you two even manage to raise him?” Miko asked as Touka finally grabbed her brother and began to furiously shake him. “I probably would have gone insane from trying.”

“Trust me, there were times when we wanted to kill him as well.” Ken sighed heavily as he rubbed his eyebrows in frustration. “But enough of that…..do you think that’s the truck Hinami and Hide’s in?”

“It’s a very big possibility.” Miko muttered, “They were supposedly one of the lasts ones in the area….and if they’re in trouble….”

“Then we have to help.” Ken growled out. “We just got back together….I’m not going to let anything tear our family apart again.”

“Hmmm, good answer. Normally I would change into my um hunting clothing but we don’t have time….Touka-chan, Ayato-kun, if the two of you are done arguing, put on your masks.” Miko ordered, immediately stopping sibling fight.

“We’re going to save the stupid humans?” Ayato sighed as he pulled out his mask as his sister did the same. However, Miko could see the slightest of smirks dancing on his lips. It looks like he was itching for a battle and the Martian Kataphrakt seemed like the perfect opponent to him. Let’s just hope he won’t do anything stupid. Miko smiled softly as she reached into her bag and took out her own mask.

“Of course. These humans are my friends and Hinami-chan is very likely in that truck as well.” Turning to her brother, Miko continued, “Since your white hair is too noticeable, Inaho-kun will make the connections easy. I’ll put an illusion on both of us to slightly alter our appearance. Any recommendations?”

“You can make illusions?” Ken asked as he placed his eye patch mask on, making him ten times more terrifying especially that there were still some stains on it. Miko’s fingers itched as she wanted to take the mask and clean it.

“Of course. Don’t you remember?” Miko smiled as she placed her own mask on before revealing her one sole Kakugan in the eye sockets. “I wasn’t named Kitsune just because of my tails.”

* * *

 

_**Okisuke POV** _

He was terrified. And it wasn’t ‘I forgot to study and now I’m going to fail my test and stay behind a year’ fear….no it was genuine fear. He was going to die. He was going to die while trying to save Inaho’s sister. Not a bad way to go, but considering that the Kata…no….monster, chasing after them could disintegrate anything it touched…..he didn’t even want to know how it would feel.

_Ah shit,_ He thought as he began to lose his grip on Inaho’s hand. _I’m going to die!_ Granted, he was grateful that Inaho caught him when the monster forced the truck to fly and sent him flying as well….but now it looked like it was only to delay his inevitable death. And what was worse, Hinami would see him die like this. Crying like a baby. Definitely not like he wanted her to remember him at all.

_I’m sorry, so sorry Hinami-chan. That you have to see me like this._ He thought as he was clinging to his friend by their fingertips. _I’m sorry Inaho, but I’m just so scared….so scared of dying. Please…..if there’s anyone….please….I want to live on with my friends!_ However, it seemed that whoever heard his prayers hated him because the truck jolted heavily forcing Inaho to lose his grip on him and Okisuke could feel himself flying……to his death.

“OKISUKE!!!”

* * *

 

_**Hinami’s POV** _

“OKISUKE!!!” Hinami screamed as she reached out helplessly towards her crush before something inside of her snapped. She was tired of being weak, tired of just standing by as others did all the hard work. Inaho already did his part….and now it was hers. And even though she was sure she would lose all her friends she made….as long as they were alive and happy…..Hinami would do whatever it took to make sure they never suffered as she did. Hinami pulled herself out of the emergency hatch and sprinted across the roof of the truck, passing a surprised Inaho, before she reached the edge of the truck.

_I won’t make it, even if I jump, I won’t make it….but I won’t give it. I WON’T GIVE UP!_

“AHHHHH!” Hinami screamed as the familiar pain of releasing her Rinkaku ripped through her uniform and sped towards Okisuke. One of her Rinkaku wrapped around Okisuke and pulled him out of harm’s way as the other continued on to strike the Kataphrakt to hopefully put a little distance between them.

_That’s if it doesn’t destroy my Rinkaku._ Hinami thought as she grabbed Okisuke and held him tight as the truck made another sharp turn. To her surprise though, her Rinkaku didn’t disappear and actually forced the Martian monster to stagger back. Was it because she was a ghoul? If so, then was she the only one who could save her friends?

“H-hinami?”

“Get Yuki-san out of the Kataphrakt.” She said as she placed Okisuke down and starred at the two boys in front of her. She could see their eyes widen at her new appearance and she couldn’t blame them. She must have looked terrifying with her Kakugan and Kagune out in the open….like a real monster. “I’ll buy you some time to get away.”

“But what about—”

“The only thing that matters right now, is getting you guys to safety.” Hinami smiled sadly at Inaho. She could hear the Martian monster thumping getting closer now, probably frustrated that its latest attempt to kill one of her friends was foiled. “And I’m the only one…the only thing that has a chance to stop it.” She smiled sadly at the two boys before jumping off the truck, trying to ignore the stinging in her heart as they both continued to look at her with fear….at least Okisuke did. She watched as the truck continued to drive further on before she took a deep breath. The thumping was getting louder and heavier meaning….

_It’s time to stand up and fight_ She growled to herself as she turned around to face the Martian, narrowing her eyes in anger. Inside that machine, there was a person who had no trouble taking a person’s life, looking down at them like they were vermin to be exterminated.

“Oh a little rat’s come out to play huh?” The same sinister voice snarled out as the Martian stopped just a couple of feet away from Hinami. “You’re a little different. But it doesn’t matter, you’re still rats—”

“Just shut up, you’re really getting on my nerves.” Hinami growled out as she got herself into a defensive stance Miko had taught her. Even though she was nowhere near the level of her sister when it came to combat….all she had to do was stall the Martian until Hide and everyone else was at a safe distance. “I’ll make you regret for even thinking about harming my friends.” She rushed forward and without giving the Martian anytime to react, her Rinkaku struck the Kataphrakt in rapid succession.

“You fucking brat! How are you even able to touch my Kataphrakt!?” The mysterious Martian screamed before an arm swung at her, forcing Hinami to jump out of the way. She wrapped one of her Rinkaku around the swinging arm to propel her higher and as she came flying down, she sent another barrage of attacks towards the Martian’s Kataphrakt’s torso.

_Still nothing!_ Hinami thought as none of her attacks did any lasting damage. She had to flip in mid air to avoid another attack from the Martian when she nearly landed on his armor. While she knew that her Kagune was immune to the Martian’s shield, she didn’t know if her body was immune to it as well and she wasn’t going to risk it.

“You little brat stop moving already!”

“No thanks, I like to keep all of my body parts intact.” Hinami muttered, as she landed on a nearby roof. Narrowing her eyes, Hinami watched as the Martian Kataphrakt angrily turned towards her, looking for any signs of weakness. However, it seemed that no matter how many times she struck the Martian with her Rinkaku, nothing happened.

“Stop taunting me you fucking rat!” The Martian screamed as he swung at her once more, forcing Hinami to jump away from the building. “You can’t get away from me that easily!”

_Let’s see me if you can attack me from the back!_ She thought as she vaulted herself behind the Martian and once again struck the Martian as she was falling. However, just as she was about to strike an area around his arm, the other swung straight at her.

_How did he even see me back here!?_ She thought as she shielded herself with her Rinkaku before she gasped in pain as her back collided with a nearby building. _Crap, that hurt a lot more than I expected…._ However, she couldn’t rest as she saw the Martian swing at her once more.

“GAH!” She cried as crashed onto the concrete floor, creating a small crater as the rest of the building above her disappeared. She quickly shielded herself with her Koukaku as the Kataphrakt’s foot slammed down on her.

“Die you piece of trash just die!” The Martian screamed inside his Kataphrakt as he continued to stomp on Hinami, trying to break through her defenses. Hinami gritted her teeth in pain as the weight of the Martian Kataphrakt continued to push her further into the ground, breaking pieces of her Rinkaku and Koukaku bit by bit. If she continued to play defense, she had a feeling that not only would she most likely die, but her friends would be next. She had to do something, but what? None of her attacks were going through the shield and even though it seemed that the Martian had a frontal view only, it knew where she was at all times.

_Maybe, the head it’s its weakest point_. She thought as she prepared herself to return to offence. It would be difficult, she had already wasted a lot of her energy healing her broken bones from the attacks and not to mention, she hadn’t eaten and her Kagune was weaker than usual, but it was something she had to do. No one would come to rescue them….she had to be strong….she couldn’t afford to be weak again…..she couldn’t be weak anymore!

“I won’t die! Not when my friends are in danger!” She screamed as she pushed against the Kataphrakt causing it to lose balance for a couple of seconds giving the young ghoul enough time to escape and continue with her plan.

_Even though he is distracted for a moment, I need to make sure he doesn’t see me…..a small smoke screen should surface._ Hinami thought as she slammed her Rinkaku on the streets, causing dust to rise around them, effectively hiding the young ghoul from sight. _So, with a smoke screen, he really can’t see_ ….Hinami smirked as she quickly dashed towards the motionless Martian before jumping high into the air, breaking through the dust with a proud smirk on her face. _And now, to aim for its head!_

“Not quite little rat.” Hinami heard as her Rinkaku crashed into the helmet with the same result, if not worse as pieces of her Rinkaku broke off. Hinami couldn’t help but gasp at the sudden outcome—was she really that weak, could she not protect anyone—before she had to quickly cover herself with her Koukaku as the arm of the Martian Kataphrakt swatted her away. Hinami found herself flying in mid air for several seconds, before she was painfully rolling across the concrete floor for another couple of seconds when she suddenly collided with something made of steel. She heard the faint sound of tires screeching and people shouting….but that couldn’t be right…..no one was in the city…..and her friends had evacuated…

“I….I….have, to fight….” Hinami groaned as she struggled to stand up—pulling herself out of the small crater she created in the steel building—her head and back throbbing painfully. “I have to….fight….I’m…..not….weak….”

“Hinami, you’re bleeding and several of your bones are broken.” A muffled voice called out to her as a hand grabbed her just as she was about to fall. “You’re in no condition to fight anymore.”

“N…nao-kun?” Hinami whimpered as she turned her head to see her friend—with his clothes surprisingly ripped and blood running down his face—standing right next to her. Wasn’t he in the evacuation truck with the others?

“Oi! Inaho-kun! Get Hinami in the truck! That guy’s coming closer!” Hide called out in a clearer voice. As Hinami began to regain her senses, she noticed that she had somehow crashed into the evacuation truck, nearly toppling it over. But why was Inaho hurt…..and oh god he smelled so good.

“Hinami can you hear me?” Inaho asked once more pulling Hinami out of her more….primitive thoughts. Roughly, she pushed the young teenager away before she fell into her instincts and devour him. It would give her strength to fight back and possibly win….but she wasn’t a complete monster....not yet.

“S-stay away from me.” She gasped out as she shakily stood up, turning her attention to incoming Martian Kataphrakt—away from the delicious smell of blood and flesh. There had to be a weakness of some sort, somewhere and if she could find it…. “Damn it!” Hinami gasped as she coughed out blood and fell back to the floor in pain. It was getting difficult to breathe now….she may have pierced a lung now that she thought about it. But why wasn’t she healing up? Did she already use all of her energy already? Was this the most she could do? Was she really that weak?

“Hinami! Now is not the time to be irrational.” Inaho argued as he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled it over his shoulder, pulling her up with him. “We have to get away.”

“NO….I have to…..I have to fight!” Hinami struggled to pull away from the human boy but at her current state, she couldn’t even fight his grip.

“Even though you have a much more durable body than the rest of us, that does not mean you can recklessly push yourself to the point of death.” Inaho muttered, pulling her towards the truck—Hinami could practically taste the delicious smell of human flesh as they got closer—before stumbling as the thumping of the Martian Kataphrakt became too strong to even walk normally. Hinami looked back and saw the Martian only a couple of yards away and seeing that Hide would not move the truck without her and Inaho on it…..she found herself smiling sadly.

“Nao-kun….thanks…..for being my friend.” She rasped out as she calmly took Inaho’s arm off her shoulder before slowly standing up, steadying herself as the ground shook powerfully with each step the Martian took. “But…..this is my stop…..make sure Onee-san and Hide-nii know I love them.” She smiled sadly at Inaho who stared at her wide eye.

“FOUND YOU! NOW DIE!” The Martian shouted as it swung its arm straight at Hinami and the truck. Using the last of her strength, she summoned her remaining Rinkaku and forcefully pushed Inaho and the truck out of harms away before jumping back herself, barely missing the destructive arm by a centimeter. “You’re not getting away that easy you fucking rat!” He shouted once more as he turned towards the young ghoul and aimed another arm at her.

_This is it…._ Hinami thought as the energy from her legs all but disappeared forcing her to stumble clumsily to the floor. _This is as far as I can go…..I’m sorry everyone….I’m so sorry for being weak….I’m so sorry…._ She watched as the arm raced towards her and she couldn’t help but smile sadly. She didn’t want to leave the world so early…but…. _Mom….Dad….I’m coming home earlier than I expected…._ Taking a deep breath, Hinami closed her eyes not wanting to see the horrified looks of her friends as the shadow of the arm loomed over her now.

“HINAMI!!!!”

* * *

 

_**Inaho’s POV** _

“HINAMI!!” Inaho heard Hide shout just as the arm of the Martian Kataphrakt swung down on his friend blocking his view from Hinami’s sad smile.

_Just when one of my friends is saved…..another….another dies…_.However to his astonishment, red ropes…well rather tentacles…wrap around the arm just as a black blur sped past him. Could it be the same black blue from earlier this morning? But what….what do they want Hinami’s body for? Just as he stood up, ready to check if Hinami was ok, a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Looking back, Inaho’s heart momentarily stopped as a white rabbit mask came into view and even though it had the most comical face, he couldn’t help but feel…. Small….like a helpless animal…..seeing its predator face to face.

“Stop. You’re just going to get in the way.”

“But…..Hinami—”

“Spending time with humans really made you weak huh?” A new voice sneered catching the young high schooler’s attention. Standing just a couple of feet away from them as another masked person—the black rabbit mask was more menacing than the girl’s—holding Hinami bridal style. He wore a tight fitting tank top and baggy pants. With his very muscular body, he looked like he was around eighteen or something.

“Ay—”

“Kuro Usagi, Shiro Usagi. You’re in charge of keeping the vehicle safe.” Another voice called out, cutting off Hinami and catching Inaho’s attention once more. Slowly coming into view a black haired individual with a black leathery mask—with a rather creepy smile—stood underneath the arm with a rather indifference look. What was more disturbing was the fact that his sole visible eye was solid black save for his iris that was a bloody red. And that the tentacles that was holding the Martian arm in place came from his back. His eyes….

_They’re just like Hinami’s when she….._ He briefly shuddered as he remembered Hinami’s frightening look on top of the truck when she saved Okisuke. Even though he knew her anger wasn’t directed towards them…..the way her eyes narrowed in frustration and anger…combined with the new color to her eyes…..made it seem like she was…..a…..

“Make sure Hinami’s wounds are……tended to as well.” Standing just a bit further away from the black haired individual was another person—female—wearing a crop sleeveless tank top with a hood, kimono like sleeves, baggy pants, and a fox mask, smirking at them.

“Tch. Sticking us with the boring job?” The black rabbit man growled as he tightened his hold on Hinami “Why do you get to have all the fucking fun?”

“Our priority is the safety of the humans, not to kill the Martian. Remember that. Now get going.” The fox mask woman growled out just as the black haired ghoul forcefully pushed back the Martian before jumping after it. “Remember Eyepatch, we can’t touch it with our bare hands.”

_Humans…..so they don’t think….no…..they know they are not humans….so just what are they then? Hinami…..just what are you? Just who are these people?_

“I know.” Eyepatch muttered before his tentacles released the arm and began attacking the Kataphrakt relentlessly.

“Wait! Wha—”

“Oi! Get her in the damn truck.” The white rabbit mask girl growled out as she grabbed Inaho roughly and placed him over her shoulder like if was just a sack of flour. Did he really that little? Or was she just stronger than most people? He didn’t have time to think about it further as he found himself flying into the truck and landing painfully on his rear.

“Inaho!” Inko shouted as she raced towards him, checking for any injuries. “You’re hurt!” She cried as she noticed his bleeding forehead.

“Considering that I fell from a moving truck after Hinami had crashed into it, it would have been a miracle if I didn’t get hurt.” He replied as he tentatively touched his forehead before wincing in pain. Of course head wounds had to hurt more than usual. He was grateful that Okisuke and his sister made it inside the truck when Hinami had collided with it. He didn’t want any more harm coming to the both of them.

“Oi, Blondie, get the truck moving now!” The white rabbit woman shouted just as Hinami and her savior entered the truck, receiving many fearful stares from the refuges, including his friends. It probably had to do with the menacing aura the man had plus the bloody and torn clothes Hinami was wearing.

“Who are those people?” Calm asked, “And what happened to Hinami-chan? She’s….she’s…..”

“She’s all bloody and her clothes are torn! She needs medical attention—”

“She’s fine,” The white rabbit woman answered, silencing his friends as she calmly walked towards them. “A couple of broken bones and internal bleedings isn’t going to kill her. We’re tougher than that.”

“What you’re implying is that Hinami isn’t a normal human and that the wounds she received, while life threatening to us, isn’t to her?” Inaho asked narrowing his eyes a bit. Behind the white rabbit woman, Hinami stiffened and refused to look their way, hiding her head in the black rabbit’s shoulder instead.

“I don’t have to answer to you kid. Oi! Blondie! Can’t you make this truck go any faster?” She asked, turning her attention back to Hide, causing his friends to let go of their breath they had been holding.

“She’s…..she’s really something.” Calm chuckled nervously as he played with his tie. “Even though I couldn’t see her eyes….”

“It felt like she was some sort predator…..waiting to eat us.” Inko whispered as she clutched her uniform tightly.

“They’re monsters….” Okisuke muttered catching all three of their attention. “All of them….no normal human could do that…..and her eyes…”

“What…..what are you talking about Okisuke?” Inko laughed nervously. “I mean….I mean sure they’re a bit scary—”

“You didn’t see her out there Inko!” Okisuke whispered harshly, “You didn’t see…..she was…..a completely different person…..no….maybe that was the real her…..and what we see on a day to day basis is a lie.” He muttered dejectedly as he turned his back towards them. Inaho could see Inko and Calm looking fearfully back at Hinami before following lowering their heads.

“Tch…fucking humans.” Inaho heard the white rabbit woman growl out before she quickly rushed to Hinami’s side and Inaho couldn’t help but gasp lightly. Tears were falling from Hinami’s now normal eyes before she went to tightly hug the white rabbit woman. For the brief moment he saw her though, Hinami had the look of a person who had….lost everything.

_Perhaps….even though she does not have the same physical limitations normal people have….she still has the same emotions we do….if so…..does that make her more human then?_

“You sure they’re going to be ok?” Hide asked, forcing the white rabbit’s attention away from Hinami, as he pointed out from the driver’s window. “I mean—”

“They will be fine.” The white rabbit ghoul sighed as she carefully pulled Hinami away from her shoulder, wiping away her tears. “You however, need to be looked at. Those are some nasty wounds you got. Looks like you’ve been training.” She chuckled earning a small smile from Hinami before it disappeared entirely.

“That’s what you get for trying to be human.” The Black Rabbit sneered as he stood off at the side, crossing his arms in anger “Pathetic.”

“Now’s not the time, Ay—Kuro! Now shut up and get some bandages! We should have some in the bag—”

“Perhaps I can be of some assistance? I am her school doctor.” Dr. Yagarai’s finally made himself known to the new incomers as he calmly walked towards them, the only brave one it seemed. However, instead of the White Rabbit speaking up, it was the Black Rabbit.

“We know what to do…back off.” He growled causing many of the passengers to whisper in fear. Even though he looked young….Inaho had no trouble imagining how easily it would be for the Black Rabbit to take all of them down. But it seemed Dr. Yagarai wasn’t affected by this tone.

“She is my student. If you think that because she is different—”

“I said to fucking back off! Or are you stupid you fucking human?!” The Black Rabbit sneered causing their school doctor to frown. Just as he opened his mouth to argue, Hide interrupted.

“I know this isn’t a good time to say this….but we’re at about a fourth of a tank left in this truck.” Hide grumbled, as he once again switched gears. “So if anyone one knows of a good place to hide, now would be a really good time to tell me.”

“How the hell do you have that little gas left?!” Black Rabbit growled as he stomped over to Hide, “Were you fucking blind when you turned on the car?!”

“Not my fucking fault that the Martian slammed Hinami into the side of the truck that happened to have the gas tank!” Hide shouted back, making a tight turn as something crashed right in front of them. “It’s a miracle that it didn’t blow up!”

“And we’re not having that much luck in pushing the Martian Kataphrakt back either,” The Fox mask female sighed as she poked her head through the hatch nearly scaring everyone in the vehicle save for Hide, the two strangers and Hinami. “We’re barely able to hold him back. His armor is pretty tough to crack and since we’re not at our full potential….well…..”

“Tch! This is why I should have gone instead—”

“And what? Shoot him with your Ukaku? It may be powerful, but you’d have to get into…you know what, we’ll have this conversation later. Eyepatch is having some trouble right now. Shiro Usagi, you stay and heal Hinami. Kuro Usagi, just make sure you don’t cause too much trouble. And Mr.….”

“Just call me Hide.” Hide grunted as he forced the truck into another tight turn just as the Martian’s arm swung at them. “And we could really use a hideout about now…”

“Unless there’s something that can cover us completely or make the Martian Kataphrakt go through a large amount of mass to slow him down somewhat, the only option we have right now is to run.” The Fox mask woman sighed.

“Actually, there’s a nearby underpass that should give us some time, given the Martian’s ability to phase through anything.” Inaho spoke up, surprising his friends. Even though they didn’t exactly voice it, he could see in their eyes that they wanted him to be careful of his wording. He guessed they didn’t have much in his social skills. And if he said something to offend this woman, it could mean the end for him.

_Although, you seem less likely to kill me than the Black Rabbit man…not to mention….familiar._

“And it should give us proper time to heal up Hinami.” Inaho finished as he stared at the fox masked woman. She merely tilted her head before smirking playfully.

“Hmmm, I like you’re thinking. Listen to the human brat, Blondie. We’ll buy you time. Brat, direct Blondie to the underpass you mentioned. It shouldn’t take you too long to get there.” She smiled before disappearing from sight.

“Never gonna get used to that….” Hide muttered as he switched gears once more. “Oi! Inaho, if you’re going to sit back there, I’m not going to be able to hear your directions! Get into the shotgun seat!”

“I would if you didn’t continue to make such sharp turns.” The young high schooler replied as he stood up only to stumble to the floor as Hide made another turn.

“Tch! Pathetic!” Black Rabbit snarled as he grabbed him by his uniform—he could hear his friends gasp in horror—before he found himself sitting in the passenger seat. “Now fucking hurry up and get us the hell out of here.”

“What he means to say, is that could you kind point the direction I need to go to? And if you could hurry that would be awesome.” Hide chuckled nervously as a small explosion nearly blasted their truck off balance.

“Sorry!” Inaho heard someone call out before the sound of a building exploding cut the voice off once more. Steeling himself, Inaho looked at the nearest street sign and was relieved that it was one of the few he knew and not far from the underpass at all.

“Make a left at the next street.” Inaho muttered as he gripped onto his seat tightly as Hide swerved out of the way of a falling pole. A large shadow suddenly fell upon them and Inaho heard Hide curse out loudly. It seemed that the building they were passing suffered damaged with the Martian and the two other masked people.

“Oi! Black Rabbit! Make yourself useful and destroy the debris before it crushes us!”

“Don’t fucking order me around!” Black Rabbit snarled as he quickly jumped out of the hatch to presumably handle the situation. Inaho couldn’t keep his curiosity to himself and strained his neck to see how the Black Rabbit planned to take out the falling debris. He felt his eyes widen as he saw red flames—it looked like flames they way it was fluttering around honestly—shooting out from the back of his shoulder blades before they morphed into a spear—the one of the right—that covered his entire arm while the other became a spiked shoulder armor piece.

“Inaho! Now where!” Hide shouted, bringing Inaho’s attention back to the road. Quickly he looked back up the hatch only to see the Black Rabbit gone.

“You’re going to make a left in two more streets. We should be able to make it to the main road that leads us straight towards it.” He answered, steadying himself as small pieces of concrete fell onto the truck—cracking the window a bit.

“You suck being a body guard!” Hide shouted—Inaho presumed that it was towards the Black Rabbit—before swerving to the left. “Ha! I see the underpass! You are literally a live saver Inaho!”

“I think you can thank me only when we are out of danger….the Martian looks like he’s done fighting with the other two and is focusing on us now….” Inaho pointed out as he looked at the side mirror where the Martian Kataphrakt was slowly making its way towards them. It was unfortunate that the street that led them to the underpass also was big enough to let a large Martian Kataphrakt to calmly walk through it.

“And there’s no streets where we can lose him in!” Hide growled as his grip on the wheel tightened. “It’s a straight road from here on out…..damn, please hold them off for a bit longer.” Hide whispered as he changed gears once more and pressed harder on the gas pedal even though it was already at the floor. Knowing that it was now up to Hide’s driving skills, Inaho decided to look out through his passenger window to get a better view of the fight. To his astonishment, the two masked people had very similar tentacles coming from their backs—exactly where Hinami’s….Ukaku….came from as well—but they completely differed from the young high schooler.

Hinami’s tentacles were more….smooth and they had a pattern….not to mention, it looked like pieces of scales that could extend and retract when ordered to. They were a pale cream color with red dots on each scale. These people….they had….Ukakus…..that looked like tentacles and they were a pulsing bright red. Unlike Hinami however, they had twice the amount she had—the fox mask woman had triple the amount—and were easily using the larger number of their tentacles to attack more often. It seems that not all of them have the same…..Ukakus. Even though Hinami and the other two have….tentacles, Hinami’s doesn’t look like the ones the other two have. And Black Rabbit has his own…….Ukaku coming from his shoulder blade area….and it formed into a weapon meant mostly for close range combat. And what about the White Rabbit? What form does her Ukaku form?

They also had a lot more combat skills than Hinami, the way they easily dodged the attacks that caught Hinami off guard. However, it seemed that even they were having trouble piercing through the armor that could easily consume them. Inaho could barely see the frowns and glare they threw at the Martian and they continued to fight him, even though they were being pushed back. Another thing that’s interesting. Why are their….Ukakus…..not affected by the strange force field the Martian has? It easily destroyed Yuki-nee’s Kataphrakt, buildings, and nearly killed Okisuke….but to them….it’s just armor that’s nearly impossible to pierce through….

“Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on!” Hide shouted as the thumping became louder. “Just a little more!”

“This thing is hard to even fucking pierce through. Not to mention, it can see whenever we double team against it!” The fox mask woman shouted as she landed on top of the truck if the thumping had any indication. “Eyepatch?”

“It seems our only option is to see how many things it can absorb before the shield cannot take anymore or force it on its back, so the Martian has to release his defense if he doesn’t want to fall through the Earth.” Another thump on the truck. It was probably the other person….perhaps they were siblings if they had the same….Ukakus.

“Tch! The both of you are just weak!” Black Rabbit snarled reminding Inaho that he was still with them. “He doesn’t seem so tough!”

“Um Guys! Please tell me he’s not right behind us because we still have about a couple meters left until the underpass!” Hide shouted as the arm of the Martian Kataphrakt barely missed them due to the red tentacle interference. “Do something!”

“Sheesh, alright, alright! Pushy.” The woman muttered. “This is our last shot you guys. On the count of three, we hit it with everything we got and hopefully, Mr. Hide can get the truck into the underpass.”

“Yeah, just need a couple more seconds.” Hide laughed nervously. “The gas sign lit up already….”

“Already?” Inaho asked, surprised at the amount they already lost. Just how big was that hole Hinami created when she crashed into the truck?

“Fuck counting.” Inaho heard the woman curse as the thumping became even louder, “THREE!” Simultaneously, the footsteps disappeared from the rooftop and just a couple of seconds later, everyone heard a large crack echo through the air. Just as Inaho was about to look back to see who had done the damage, Hide slapped his shoulder just as they made it through the underpass.

“Fuck yes! We made it!” Hide laughed as the truck began to slow down. “And not a minute too soon, the gas tank is empty now…” He sighed heavily as the parked the truck. Looking back Inaho watched anxiously as the Martian Kataphrakt steadily made their way towards them but to his surprise along with the others, it just stopped right at the entrance. Not even moving an inch.

“Huh…..well that’s something.” The fox mask woman muttered as she, Eyepatch, and Black Rabbit stood a little bit underneath the underpass. “He’s not moving.”

“Then let’s fucking—”

“No….we need to rethink our strategy against this thing. Not to mention, we have to tend to the wounded and find a suitable shelter for the people.” Eyepatch spoke silencing the Black Rabbit before he turned towards them.

“Ah, I think that’s our queue to get out of the truck don’t you think?” Hide laughed softly as he unclenched his hand from the steering wheel and stretched out his legs. “Alright people, the Martian Kataphrakt isn’t attacking us. Let’s get out of this truck and find some place to rest and tend any wounds you guys got during this bumpy ride. Inko-chan, Calm-kun, Okisuke-kun, Inaho-kun! I’m going to need your help directing the people.” Hide said giving Inaho and his friends one of his serious stares that made it difficult for them to say no.

“R-right.” Inko stuttered before clearing her voice. “Woman and children are first. Everyone else can follow after.”

“There should be an emergency hatch that leads to school.” Inaho spoke up. “I think we can leave through there undetected from that Martian Kataphrakt.” Just as he opened the doors to let the people out, the three masked people greeted him. He could feel Inko stiffen behind him and Calm gripping his shoulder tightly.

“Good thinking brat.” The fox woman smiled as she moved to the side. “Without the truck we really can’t out run that Kataphrakt now can we? We’ll help you guys if you have any trouble carrying some stuff.”

“Then can you help carry my sister out?” Inaho asked before his friends could deny them. He could hear the soft gasps coming from them but he had to prove something. Ever since they arrived to help Hinami, there had been something familiar with them…..especially the Fox Mask woman. Hide seemed very comfortable with them and it was possible that he knew them since he wasn’t surprised at Hinami’s new appearance. “She got hurt and is unconscious.” Inaho narrowed his eyes at the woman to see if he could spot any signs that could lead him to believe that this woman knew them.

_Anything to suggest anger, surprise, or even sadness._ He thought as he watched for what seemed like years before her mouth twitched into a frown for a millisecond before returning to her smirk. _Ah…..so you do know us then._

“No problem brat.” She smiled as she calmly walked through the truck only to stop after she took a step in. Inaho was about to ask her what was wrong when his vision began to haze over.

“Hey….why is everything so fuzzy?” Calm asked, surprising Inaho as Inko complained about the same thing. Considering he had a head injury it would make sense if he suddenly passed out or his vision began to go. But for everyone else to be experiencing the same thing…..was it the fox woman’s doing? Looking up, Inaho could feel his eyes widen slightly as her features began to morph into a very familiar person. Gone was the crop top hood, her strange baggy pants and strange sleeves. In their place was familiar long grey hair, a torn up café uniform and an Ukaku similar to Black Rabbit’s only it was much smaller and had a more hypnotizing pattern on them.

“Miko-san!?!” Inko cried as the pieces finally fell into place for Inaho. So this was the mystery Hinami and her family were hiding all this time. They were…..

“Opps? Um I guess the cat’s out of the bag.” Miko chuckled sheepishly as she retracted her Ukaku and rubbed the back of her neck. “Um…so……yeah I’m Kitsune. Sorry if my appearance scared you.” She laughed nervously as she took off her mask revealing her face, further proving that it was indeed Hinami’s guardian they all knew for four years.

“Just who are you people?” Inaho couldn’t help but ask as the black haired Eyepatch mask man—his hair turned into a familiar snow white now—stepped into the truck as well. Both of them looked at each other before they turned their attention to Hinami and the White Rabbit. For a couple of seconds silence followed as they held a silent conversation with their eyes before Hinami turned her head further into the White Rabbit’s shoulder and the white haired man sighed heavily.

“We….don’t have a choice.” He muttered as Miko awkwardly patted his shoulder and gave a nervous laugh.

“It was bound to come out sooner or later….it just happened to be a lot sooner….”

“So just what the heck are you guys!” Okisuke shouted, surprising Miko before her eyes narrowed silently. From the corner of his eyes, Inaho could see Hinami stiffen even further into the shoulder of the White Rabbit’s shoulder. It seems that even though she knew them for a long time, if any harm came to her family….Miko would no longer be polite to them.

“Well…..um…..I guess you can call us…..ghouls.” She finally answered chuckling softly. “Surprise?”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um so someone had asked about Hinami and Ayato's age and if they were older than Inaho and the rest. I should have mentioned that I changed their age so that they would be the same age. So think about Tokyo Ghoul happening earlier for Hinami and Ayato but everyone else is the same age. I know, weird but that was the only way it would work.


	4. The Ghoul is Out of the Bag

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay for this chapter. I meant to have it up a while ago but with Anime Expo coming closer, I've been focusing more of my attention on my cosplay costume that I'm working on. It's almost done so that's why I've been finally able to update. Sorry about that. But without further adu, here's the next chapter and I hope you guys enjoy it.

 

 

 

 

_**Inaho’s POV** _

“Ghouls?” Inaho asked narrowing his eyes a bit at the unclear answer, “What do you mean exactly by that?”

“Well….how about we get everyone situated and then we can explain a bit further in detail.” The café owner answered just as her brother opened her mouth. “I’m sure everyone is tired and not to mention, Yuki-chan needs medical attention right?”

“Yes…”

“Then it’s settled. Once everyone has been checked we can further talk about ourselves and the situation we’re in.” Without saying another word, Miko silently retreated her Ukaku and calmly walked to his unconscious sister who happened to be in the care of the two girls he and Hide picked up earlier. Uncharacteristically, she stared at the two girls with a slight glare—and if his eyes weren’t playing tricks he could see a small frown as well—before carefully kneeling down.

“Hey. I know I’m a bit creepy, but I promise I won’t hurt Yuki-chan. You don’t have to be holding her anymore.” The smallest girl bit her lip in worry before she looked at her companion who gave Miko a worried smile.

“Um…sure. I was just making sure no more harm came to Inaho’s sister.”

“And you did a marvelous job.” Miko smiled tightly as she carefully—and to Inaho’s astonishment—and easily lifted his sister out of the girls grip and carried her bridal style. “Shiro Usagi….you got Hinami right?”

“Yeah…..but she needs…you know.” White Rabbit replied as she held Hinami in a similar hold.

“We have some in our bags. We’ll give it to her when there are no prying eyes.” Miko’s brother answered before stumbling as Hide wrapped his arm around the white haired man…well ghoul. It was now easier to identify him now without his creepy mask on.

“So if you guys are still offering free rides….can I have one too? My legs are killing me.”

“Hide, you’ve been driving—”

“So! I’m tired and I want you to carry me!” Hide complained as he climbed onto Ken’s back with ease. “And it’s not like I’ll weigh that much to you.”

“You are ridiculous.” Ken answered with a barely noticeable smirk dancing on his lips before he wrapped his arms around Hide’s legs. “You know that right?”

“So? It’s called boyfriend privileges.” Inaho heard several of his friends gasp—and he think Inko choked on her saliva—at the sudden outburst and well…that was…certainly a surprise no one saw coming…

“Stop being lovely dovey and get out of the way.” White Rabbit growled playfully as she pushed the two boyfriends out of the doorway. “We have actual people that are hurt.”

“Hey! I was hurt by your comments! That’s good enough reason.” Hide complained as he wrapped his arms further around Ken’s neck. “Kaneki! Tou—I mean Shiro Usagi is bullying me!”

“You should keep your big mouth closed then. It’s not much use when it’s open.” Ken muttered earning another pout from Hide before it became a devilish smirk.

“Really? You didn’t say that when I was—”

“For god’s sake, keep it fucking PG! There are children here!” Miko shouted as she, Ken and nearly everyone one of his friends turned bright red at Hide’s comment.

“But you’re the one who’s cursing—Gah! Kaneki! Why did you drop me!”

“Because you were being irrational” He replied hastily walking way from Hide who seemed to make it his goal to chase him. “Stop acting childish!”

“But Kaneki—”

“Hide!”

“Honestly those two.” Miko sighed, chuckling at the sight. “Well, the sooner we get everyone to safety the better. Oi! Kuro Usagi! Make yourself useful and carry our bags if you’re refusing to help anyone else.”

“Shut up bitch!” Black Rabbit growled before throwing several bags over his shoulder. “You don’t order me around!” He then disappeared in a blur of black leaving them alone in the dark tunnel.

“Doesn’t it sound weird?” Calm asked as they finally began directing the refugees into the nearby tunnel exit that lead them to the school. Inko and Okisuke were leading them into the school while he and Calm made sure no one was left behind. “What do you exactly mean?” Inaho asked as he eyed Ken and Hide as they continued to argue playfully. “How Hide is a homosexual—”

“Not that, well I mean that was a surprise, but I was talking about….the…ghouls.” Calm muttered as he shifted his eyes. “I mean….Miko and I’m assuming her brother act so normal. Even though Black Rabbit seem a bit….bias towards us….he just sounds like a pissed off teenager. It’s….”

“Different yes, but at the same time…..not really at all.” Inaho answered. “Yes, they are different because they have…powers that even the Martian are not capable of producing but….they genuinely care for our safety. Otherwise, they would not have fended off the Martian. They’re the same caring people that we know.”

“Well, I guess you have a point….but it makes you wonder….how they even got those….powers.” Calm sighed, earning a hum in agreement from Inaho.

Indeed, where did they get these abilities. Was it inherited, were they artificially planted, or a product from the Martians? How long did they have them and what else could they do? Was it possible to even transfer the powers? If so, then it would make sense that they would want to keep quiet since it was a high possibility that the UE would want to use them as weapons. There was just too many unanswered questions about them.

“If you guys are done talking, we’re gonna head on in! Everyone’s evacuated!” Hide cheerfully called out, alerting the two high schoolers. “Get going slowpokes!”

“And how is Hide so calm about the entire situation?” Calm whispered as they quietly followed the ghoul and blonde. “I know he’s not exactly normal, but a normal person would have at least raised an eyebrow like you!”

“He’s been living with Miko and Hinami for over four years. Of course he would be used to it.” Inaho answered.” And he also knows Miko’s brother very well meaning that he may have known about them since he was a child.”

“God….today is just so messed up.” Calm sighed heavily before smiling softly. “But at least we didn’t lose anyone….that would have been too much I think.”

“We have Hinami to thank for that…if she did not reveal herself……it may have ended different for all of us.”

* * *

“So it’s just a fractured arm?” Inaho heard Miko’s voice as he slowly approached the infirmary. After reaching the school building, he had been informed by his friends that his sister, along with other injured civilians, had been taken to the school’s infirmary. He decided that a quick visit to his sister was in order before he had lunch with the rest of his friends. Not to mention, the only place he would likely find Miko and ask for a more specific time for their meeting.

“And a mild concussion. Nothing major. She should wake up in a couple of hours or less. If Hinami hadn’t been able to hold off that Martian Kataphrakt, I don’t think Yuki or Okisuke-kun would be here with us.” Dr. Yagarai answered earning a hum of agreement from the café owner. Inaho stood just outside the infirmary and continued to listen to the small exchange. It was almost strange how normal they sounded talking to each other despite what had happened less than an hour ago. It was as if the school doctor didn’t care about it at all.

“Hinami was great today….I just hope her friends won’t abandon her after we explain…mostly everything.”

_Mostly? So she won’t tell us the whole story? It must be either a complicated tale or they have more secrets that they wish to keep hidden….but is it really that….horrifying that our opinion will change of Hinami?_

“Mostly?” The doctor asked, voicing Inaho’s question and earning a small chuckle from the grayed haired woman. “Well, if we were to tell our full story, it would probably take a couple of days and I’m sure even we don’t have that kind of luxury.” She laughed lightly. “Well, now that Yuki-chan is taken care of, I have to check on Hinami and see how she’s doing. Not to mention, make sure Ay—err, Kuro Usagi isn’t causing too much of a ruckus with everyone else.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to me to give Hinami a checkup? She looked a lot worse—” Miko cut him off.

“Don’t worry. We ghouls have a much stronger body structure than you humans do. Not to mention, we need um….a certain substance to even heal properly.” Miko muttered before Inaho heard the creaking of a bed and footsteps approaching the doorway. “Well….I’ll go and check on the others. I’ll come by later and tell you my story…I owe you that at least.” Without warning, Miko quickly slammed opened the door and Inaho was sure if he wasn’t standing in her way, she would have ran as if death was chasing after her. “O-oh! Inaho! Sorry about that, I was um…in a bit of a rush.” She shakily laughed as she ran her fingers through her hair rather nervously. “Did you want to check on your sister?”

“I was but then I heard you and Dr. Yagarai talking about my sister’s condition. A broken arm and a concussion right?”

“Yeah, so no major harm done to your sis! Still you should go and see her, you know some sort of comfort?” She chuckled nervously once more. Inaho narrowed his eyes at the strange behavior. In all the years he’s known the café owner, she was never the one to be nervous to this extreme. What made the grey haired woman so twitchy about visiting the infirmary?

_Could it be….that it’s not the infirmary itself but what it represents? Like a hospital of some sorts? I do recall Hinami telling us that Miko was not fond of hospitals, but for her fear to be this extreme? Does this connect to their past?_

“Since it’s nothing really life threatening and I trust your judgment on my sister’s condition, I think I’ll have something to eat at the cafeteria then. I’ll visit her when she’s awake. Would you like to come with me?” He asked as he began walking away.

“So cold hearted Inaho!” Miko laughed as she quickly followed him and from the corner of his eye, he could see Miko’s shoulder shrug in relief. “But to answer your question, I’ll have to pass on lunch right now. I have to check on Hinami, look for my brother and Hide to make sure they’re not traumatizing people with….certain activities. And not to mention, I have to make sure Ayato isn’t scaring the civilians too badly.” She sighed heavily. “Sometimes, being the oldest is a tough job.”

_Certain activities? Surely she doesn’t mean…..no, don’t go there._ Inaho though as he closed his eyes in horror, trying to destroy the mental picture, Miko provided.

“Miko-nee? There you are. Hide and I were looking all over for you.” Looking up, Inaho saw Miko’s brother and Hide calmly walking towards them and thankfully, showed no evidence of what Miko thought they were doing.

“Sorry, I was making sure Yuki-chan was taken care of before I went to find you guys. By the way, do you happen to know where Hinami is?”

“We were gonna ask you that.” Hide sighed heavily as he pouted. “Since Kaneki doesn’t exactly have a good sense of smell like our dear Hinami-chan, he can’t pinpoint her location. Not to mention, her cell is in her school bag,” Which Ken lifted with a sigh as well, “So calling her is out of the question. And, Touka—I mean Shiro Usagi, doesn’t have hers with her either.”

“You do realize that my sense of smell and hearing are amongst the worst of us right?” Miko sighed as she rubbed her forehead. “And I don’t know the layout of the school that well either. I only came here like once or twice for Hinami’s school festival.”

“The stupid brat is getting healed in a nearby classroom.” Another voice answered, well snarled, before appearing before them. It’s Black Rabbit Inaho thought as he saw the familiar clothing but was surprised to see his facial features now that he had taken his mask off. He had messy indigo hair that went a bit past his ears—on his left ear was a safety pin piercing—and dark blue eyes that were narrowed in annoyance. What surprised Inaho more was the softness of his face indicating that he was still young, probably around their age instead of eighteen as he had previously thought. So young, yet you can tell he’s an experienced fighter. Just who are these people. “That’s what she gets for being weak an all.”

“Glad to know that you care enough about her to make comments about her strength in which we didn’t really ask you about.” Miko smiled tightly at the ghoul as Ken sighed heavily into his hand. “So how about this?” She said as she turned towards Inaho with a genuine smile, “Once you and your friends have had your fill of food, text me so I can pick you guys up and we can finally have the conversation everyone’s dying to hear.”

“I suppose that’s a reasonable idea.” Inaho answered, “Would an hour give you enough time to settle things with your family.”

“More than enough.” Miko smiled as she grabbed Black Rabbit’s ear and tugged it painfully. “Have a nice lunch!”

_This will certainly be a strange meeting._ Inaho thought as he watched the ghouls, plus Hide, disappear around a hallway.

* * *

_**Kaneki’s POV** _

“Onii-chan!” Kaneki couldn’t help but smile as the younger ghoul he had missed immensely rushed to hug him once he had entered the classroom they were in. It had been four years since he had seen her bright face, and he was glad that she was no longer in pain from her fight. “You’re alright!”

“Of course.” He chuckled as he ruffled her hair a bit. “It takes more than a machine to bring any of us down. Although, I have to say, I’ve very proud at your fighting skills. You’re a lot more powerful than I remembered.”

“That’s because I taught her.” His sister proudly smiled, “You can thank me later of course.”

“Is everyone else alright? What about Yuki-san?” Hinami asked as she pulled away from Kaneki, “She wasn’t hurt too badly right?”

“Nope! A broken arm and a mild concussion. She should be waking up in a couple of hours.” Miko answered as she took a seat in a nearby desk. “What about you? You seem all healed up.”

“Almost. She shouldn’t be doing any strenuous activates since we couldn’t use all of our reserves.” Touka spoke as she carefully maintain her strand of hair covering her right eye before smiling at Hinami. “But I have to thank Miko for training you. You’re really becoming stronger. Your mother would have been proud of you.” She whispered as she gently shook Hinami’s hair.

“Really?”

“Tch, enough of this shit. Why don’t we get to the more serious part of the topic. Like the part where our existence was supposed to a secret? You kinda fucked up on that when your illusion failed.” Ayato sneered at the café owner.

“Disregarding Ayato’s choice of words, I have to agree with him.” Kaneki sighed at his sister, not before giving Ayato a stern look that promised a lecture later. Even though he was much better at talking to other people, he still lack courtesy. “I thought you said your illusions would never fade unless you forced it to.”

“Well, it wasn’t! It’s just…..when I entered that truck……it felt…..off.” Miko sighed heavily as she rubbed her eyebrow in frustration. This was a first. He never saw his sister this frustrated before and it took a lot for her ever to even look frustrated. “I don’t know how to explain it, but something in the truck didn’t seem right. It was like a voice telling me to—”

“Get away, to get as far away as possible right?” Hinami spoke up surprising all the ghouls and Hide. “I know….when Inaho and Hide-nii brought those two girls in and I went to talk to them….something inside of me just screamed to get away. Like she was an enemy far more dangerous than doves.”

“Actually to me, it was more of a hypnotizing voice telling me to show who I really was….” Miko muttered. “And before I could rationalize that order, I was already letting go of my illusion.”

“A voice told you that, and you obeyed?” Kaneki asked as he narrowed his eyes, not liking where this was heading at all. Something powerful enough to trigger ghoul instincts and to slightly control half ghouls like his sister? Who had enough power to even do that?

“Wait, that brunette girl and her little friend?” Hide spoke up, eyes a bit wide. “But….no….actually that would make sense now that I think about it.”

“What do you mean Hide?” Kaneki asked before Touka or Ayato could yell at him. “You had interactions with the girl supposedly involved? Does she have any abilities that we should be wary of?”

_And why were you interacting with such a dangerous person? I thought you were done with dangerous especially after Anteiku!_

“If you fought her hand to hand, you could definitely beat her.” That still didn’t reassure the half ghoul despite the smile Hide shot at him. “I had no trouble pinning her against her knife when she tried to take Inaho hostage when we were heading to the evacuation truck.” Hide sighed as he leaned against a desk. “At first I thought she was one of the doubles sent in to protect Princess Asseylum but now with this new evidence, I don’t know how I could have been so stupid.”

“Care to explain further on that?” Touka asked as Hinami’s eyes widen as well. “It seems that you two are the only ones that know what’s going on.”

“The girl on the truck is the one and only Princess Asseylum.” Hinami whispered, still wide eye, “And because she’s the princess—”

“She has direct control of the Aldnoah Drive….which affects us ghouls.” Kaneki finished closing his eyes. The pieces were finally coming together and it wasn’t looking that great. Not only was the princess alive, but she had the power of probably the most powerful energy source in the galaxy. Not to mention said energy source had a negative effect on ghouls. And if she wasn’t even consciously even using her power over the Aldnoah Drive, it’s frightening to even what she could do with it once she realizes it’s potential.

“See! I told you the Aldnoah Drive was something we shouldn’t treat lightly!” Miko cried triumphantly, “That thing is something we don’t—wait the princess is still alive?!”

“You barely caught on that?” Ayato sneered, “What about the fact that the Aldnoah Drive has some sort of mind control power. Isn’t that something to worry about even more?”

“This is too much we have to worry about.” Touka sighed and Kaneki couldn’t help but agree. This was already too much for them, “Not only is the princess alive, the Aldnoah Drive does have a scary effect on us, and not to mention we still have to explain our situation to the brats. Oh, not to mention, we still have a fucking machine waiting to destroy us as soon as we step outside the building. Did I miss anything else?”

“Um….I think the daughter of the original assassination team is on board with us as well….” Hinami whispered, earning more gasps and sighs from everyone in the room. Of course, there had to be something else. Why couldn’t they have a somewhat normal life? Why were they cursed with such bad luck? Was it because they were ghouls? Were they not allowed to have happy endings? Were the last four years of peace they had all they could get?

No….he was done having his family suffer. He had searched for too long to finally reunite with his sister, Hide, and Hinami. His sister no longer had those emotionless eyes, no longer muttering—no. He shouldn’t dwell on the past.

“How do you know?” Kaneki asked before his thoughts went to a darker place. “Did you see her at the parade as well?”

“No….but she had the same smell her father did. So it’s likely that she knows about the assassination. But what really bugs me is the fact that she’s not with her father especially when Yuki-san saved her from the Martian Kataphrakt. I’m sure Yuki-san would have tried to save her father as well …”

“True.” Miko spoke up, “Yuki-chan would have done everything in her power to save her father….she knows what’s it’s like to be parentless. Not to mention, you would think her father would make sure she was safe….I would even go as far to say that he would have tried to get into touch with the Martians that most likely gave him this mission to get off Earth.”

“So let me get this all clear.” Hide interrupted, “Not only is the princess alive and well, she has some sort of power to control you guys, and on board is the daughter of the assassin Hinami saw at the parade. Said assassin might be dead because the Martian Kataphrakt killed them in order to make sure no one finds out that the assassination attempt was from the Vers Empire and not an UE attack?”

“Pretty much sums it up Hide.” Kaneki chuckled before his face turned grim. They already had so much on their plate already and without the proper authorities to report all this too, they were going to have to handle it on their own. Not what he wanted to do at all.

“Ok, so let’s make a small game plan for now. So we know where our priority lies.” Miko announced. “Ken, you have any suggestions?”

“Well, besides for staying alive.” Kaneki ignored Ayato’s snort before he continued on, “I think our first priority would be to make sure the princess stays alive.”

“Why do we have to make sure that fucking human needs to live?” Ayato asked, narrowing his eyes. “Because, this war started from her supposed death. Once the Vers Empire finds out that their princess is alive and well, they’ll hopefully grant a temporary cease fire. Not to mention, if we get the princess’s good grace, we can be sure to have some sort of protection if everything goes downhill with the Terrans.” Ken answered sighing heavily as Hinami eyes widen at his implication.

“But….Nao-kun and the others—”

“As much as I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt, we have to prepare for the worse case scenario.” Miko smiled sadly towards Hinami. “I care for them but….we have to look out for ourselves as well. And well…. Who knows maybe they’ll surprise us and we don’t have to resort to that.”

“Well in order to make sure the princess stays alive, we have to keep an eye out for that daughter assassin then.” Kaneki continued, sighing as he ran his hand through his white locks. “Hinami, I think you should be the one to take on that mission.” The youngest ghoul looked up to him with surprise.

“Me?”

“You’re the closest to her age, so befriending her shouldn’t be too hard and if she did lose her father, she will need someone to know and understand her pain. While all of us know what it’s like to lose a parent, I think you would make friends with her easily.”

“O-ok. I’ll try my best Onii-chan!” Hinami cried out with a determined look on her face.

“I know you’ll be great. Now….our next priority….we need to know more about the Aldnoah Drive and what it’s limitations are, especially to us.”

“Isn’t that’s going to be a little harder to figure out?” Touka asked, giving Kaneki a small glare of annoyance. “I mean, it’s not like the princess will tell us and we don’t exactly have an Aldnoah Drive to even study.”

“What we do have is Dr. Troyard notes though.” Miko answered as she gave a glance to Hide. “Well, not all of them.”

“Explain.” Kaneki nearly growled as he gave his best friend a raised eyebrow.

“Well….I happened to come across them when I was busy trying to make false identities for us.” Hide chuckled nervously. “Apparently he had just gone to Mars in order study on the Aldnoah Drive further. He had some theories on it already and some explanations….but it’s in a code I haven’t seen before.”

“And you haven’t been able to figure it out?” Touka asked earning shakes from Miko and Hide.

“It was taking too much of Hide’s time and well, we had other things to worry about. So it became a side project for him. We never really thought that we would come into contact with the Aldnoah Drive so soon.”

“Well isn’t this just fucking great.” Touka sighed heavily as she scratched her head in frustration. “Seriously, this is way too much for the six of us to even handle.”

“And now for the final topic of the day…..how the hell are we going to explain our situation to Hinami’s friends.” Everyone sighed heavily at the topic they all avoided. It’s not like they had planned too, but they had gotten side tracked.

“I say fuck it and don’t tell them shit. It’s not like we owe them.” Ayato sneered. “Not to mention, they’ll likely turn us in to the authorities once we help them escape. And it’ll solve our food problem as well. If we’re not on the ship, we don’t have to hide ourselves—”

“And finding bodies in evacuated cites would be so much easier.” Miko chided back before recollecting herself. “Anyways…we can’t help it. Hinami already showed herself to them and so did we. We might as well tell them the partial truth.”

“And what would the partial truth be Miko-nee?” Kaneki asked, giving her a skeptical look. “That we were made? That would only apply to you and me.”

“Well it’s not like they’ll believe us if we say we come from another planet just like this one except there’s no Vers empire and Ghouls live along side humans beings except that they are hunted because their live style needs human flesh.” Miko huffed and Kaneki couldn’t help but roll his eyes at his sister’s display.

“And what would you say to make them believe us? The situation is already crazy as it is!” Touka cried. “Whatever we say won’t change their minds about us. Hinami friends already think of her differently. To them….”

“To them we are a variable.” Kaneki muttered, finally speaking aloud and silencing the rest of the ghouls. “And since they do not know anything about us, they fear us. Just like the Martians. They do not know the limitations the Aldnoah Drive has on the Kataphrakts and nothing has worked successfully so they fear them. The more information we give them, the more they will know about us—”

“And fear us even more.” Ayato whispered angrily. “Just fucking face the god damn truth. Humans are disgusting creatures who care more about themselves than anything else.”

“We don’t know if we don’t try.” Miko said, glaring at the young teen ghoul. “They didn’t grow up learning about ghouls through a bias perspective! Maybe they—”

“You’re just lying to yourself! If anything, these humans are more capable of hate! They hate their own damn species because they got control of something first! What’s to say they won’t hate us next?!” Ayato screamed as he got right into Miko’s face. That snapped something in Kaneki and he roughly pulled the teen ghoul away from his sister before growling at him.

“Don’t ever get close to her like again.”

“It’s fine Ken. Really.” Miko chuckled nervously as she placed her hand on Kaneki’s shoulder. It calmed him down and he reluctantly let go of Ayato but not before giving him a cold stare.

“I’m sorry….that was a bit out of line for me.”

_But if you do something like that to my sister again, I’ll make sure you learn another lesson._ Kaneki thought as Ayato growled at him as if he read his thoughts.

“Tch. Whatever.”

“So……what exactly are we going to tell them because um….it’s time.” Miko chuckled nervously as she held up Hinami’s phone.

“Crap.”

* * *

 

_**Inaho’s POV** _

“Are you sure they said they were coming?” Inko asked for the third time as the four of them sat idly in their homeroom waiting for their….attendees…to arrive.

“Miko-san texted me that they were on their way. They should be here soon since Hinami is guiding them.” Inaho answered as he shut his phone. “Besides, we need their cooperation if we are to defeat the Martian Kataphrakt.” If one good thing had come out of this entire situation, Inaho was glad that his friends were willing to come together to help fight off the Martian Kataphrakt for the civilians to make their way to the ferry. However, even though he had Calm and Inko check for the Martian defensive barrier with active sensor plugs and had an idea of his limitation, it would still be a tough job just for the four of them. But, if they worked with Hinami’s family, then they would have a greater chance,

“Those guys looked like they could handle the Martian bastard pretty well.” Okisuke muttered. “I’m sure they don’t even need our help. They could probably take us out without even breaking a—”

“Okisuke! Hinami would never hurt us!” Inko shouted, glaring at their black haired friend. Before she nervously looked around. “I mean…Hinami is kind and so selfless. I can’t even imagine her even trying to hurt someone intentionally without a good cause. And Miko-san always took such good care of us.”

“Well…..maybe not Hinami or Miko-san but we can’t say for sure about the other guys with them.” Okisuke sighed heavily. “Especially that Black Rabbit guy….he sounded like he hated our guts.”

“And his counterpart didn’t exactly sound pleased with us either…” Calm added, “But….if we get to know them….maybe they’re not so bad?”

“I want to think that, Calm.” Okisuke sighed heavily, “But….when you see them…..maybe—”

“Sorry we’re late.” Miko’s cheerful voice cut off Okisuke sending all of them on high alert as the door to the classroom opened revealing six people and they only knew three of them.

_Or maybe we really didn’t know them. But today we will find the truth_. Inaho thought as he gave nod to them before noticing another female in the group.

“So that’s what they look like under the mask huh.” Calm whispered to Inko as Inaho finally realized that it was both Black and White Rabbit.

_They must be siblings then_. Inaho reason as he spotted their similar hair color and eyes. However, the sister—older perhaps—looked much more kinder than her brother.

“It’s fine we weren’t waiting that long.” Inaho answers finally as he takes a seat which the rest of his friends reluctantly do as well. “So they must be Black and White Rabbit?”

“Yeah….um….let’s start with introductions then.” Miko chuckled nervously as she stood up. “As you guys are aware, I’m Kaneki Miko. And this is my little brother Kaneki Ken. You guys know Hide and Hinami.”

“Tch, your making the rest of us look like fools degrading yourself to such childish intros.” The blue haired teen snarled causing Inaho’s friends to tense up before his sister bumped his head with her fist.

“Shut up Ayato!”

“Hey, who fucking told you to call me by my name in front of them bitch?!”

“We’re trying to be friendly with them and your shitty attitude isn’t helping you bastard!”

“The two fighting over there are Touka and Ayato if you didn’t quite hear them.” Miko sighed heavily. “They’re siblings if you haven’t noticed.”

“Well….they certainly don’t behave like certain siblings we know…” Calm muttered as he looked towards Inaho and said brunette could feel his eye twitch slightly.

“Anyways.” Miko coughed loudly and separated the siblings apart before she continued, “We have decided, due to the short amount of time we have, we will just give you guys a brief summary of our story. You can ask more specific questions later. Cuz, I have a feeling you guys also want to talk strategy about that Martian Kataphrakt.” She smirked knowingly at the teens.

“Then you agree to helping us then?” Inaho asked earning several nods from them.

“If we couldn’t defeat it on our own, then we probably have a better chance together.” Miko’s brother answered giving a sideway glance at the male blue haired teen as he gave them an annoyed glare. “If you have nothing else to add, I suggest you four take a seat, while the story won’t take long, it’ll be better if you’re seated.”

“And no interruptions, got it.” Miko interrupted just as Calm opened his mouth. “You’ll just have to bear with us.”

“Very well.” Inaho answered for his friends just as they took a seat—all right next to each other. “Then let’s begin.”

“Right. As you guys know, Ghouls— from Arabic mythology—are monsters that devour the flesh of humans….well….I’m here to say they’re about 80% percent correct about us”

_Oh….well, I have to admit, I certainly didn’t think about this possibility._ Inaho thought as he felt his eyes widen a fraction at the sudden news. But then again….nearly twenty years ago people wouldn’t have thought it was possible to even build an empire on the moon. What’s to say, that perhaps some myths are more real than what people think.

“I think you broke everyone else’s brain moron.” Ayato sighed as he took a seat on a nearby chair and leaned back on it. “You may have to wait for a bit.” Looking back at his classmates, he could see shock etched onto their faces and very slowly their skin began turning paler and paler with each passing second.

“What—oh fuck, come on people, it’s not that ground breaking!” Miko cried as her brother patted her shoulder awkwardly. “Ugh, this is going to be harder than expected.”

* * *

“So….just so we’re clear on everything.” Calm coughed out after listening to the groups—ghouls—story for nearly an hour. “You guys are ghouls.”

“Yes.”

“From another planet?”

“We’re not exactly 100% sure on that, but for now, let’s say so.”

“And you HAVE to eat humans in order to survive because normal food is poisonous?” Inko added, looking a bit nervous at her own question.

“Sadly yeah. But we don’t kill people for that, we eat from suicide victims and coffee when there aren’t any.” Miko added, smiling softly at her.

“And because you eat people, you somehow gained a weaponry organ that allows you to fight.” Inaho added, “Kagune is the general term, but there are four different types.” He didn’t want to admit it aloud, but he felt a bit foolish for calling their Kagune Ukakus when it only applied to the three of them.

“Yeah, Ukaku, Koukaku, Rinkaku, and Bikaku.” Hide smiled as he counted them off with his fingers. “And they come in different styles—”

“Too much info Hide.” Ken chuckled at his boyfriend before sneakily taking his hand into his own. “And.....I think we covered the basics.” Miko sighed heavily. “So…is that enough to satisfy your curiosity?”

“And….you guys really don’t kill people for food?” Okisuke finally spoke up, earning a surprised look from Hinami. “ I mean….they way you guys are…it makes it really hard to believe that your aren’t made to take down humans…”

“I won’t lie, most ghouls do like to eat fresh meat so to speak.” Miko answered after several seconds of silence from the younger female ghoul. “Ayato here used to have that diet, along with Touka but they changed to a more vegetarian diet so to speak.” She chuckled nervously as everyone once again tensed up at the mention of cannibalism. “But Hinami, Ken and I haven’t killed a human for food.”

“Ever?”

“I was too weak to hunt on my own…along with my mother and father.” Hinami finally spoke up as she slowly pushed her way towards the front. “We had to get meat from a second source so I never once killed anyone….even when……I never killed anyone.” She finished hastily making Inaho wonder just what pushed the young kind girl to even come close to even consider killing someone. He had a hard time even considering any scenarios.

“Oh….well…..that’s…..good.” Okisuke muttered softly. “So….um….it’s nice to know….you won’t kill us for food.”

“Okisuke!” Inko cried, “Even if it’s a bit…..strange, you don’t say that to a person! Hinami would never think about eating us…..” Inko finished softly as she slowly turned towards Hinami with a scared but hopeful look.

“Even if you guys no longer consider me as your friend after today’s events….I will never….ever eat you…..you’re part of my family.” She muttered softly giving them a sad smile.

“OK! Enough of this depressing topic.” Miko suddenly spoke up before clapping her hands together and somehow changed the depressing atmosphere with her smile. “Now let’s talk about talking down that Martian Kataphrakt. I’m sure both parties have information that will benefit us.”

“And how do they plan on fighting that thing? It’s not like the school has any Kata—whatever you guys call it.” Ayayto sighed heavily. “You guys will just get in our way—”

“We have the older models of the Kataphrakts in the training grounds.” Inaho spoke up. “All of us are trained to us it since it was very likely that a war would brew between the two planets.”

“But aren’t those models a bit weaker than the one you sister was piloting?” The white haired ghoul spoke up, surprising Inaho with his knowledge. Then again, they would have likely read about the weapons human used should they have to defend themselves from it. “The KG-7 Areion has more fire power than the KG-6 Sleipnir.”

“It’s the only thing we have available at school.” Hinami spoke up this time. “Although, I think there’s only three of them working properly…”

“But at least it’s better than nothing. So,” Turning towards Inaho the café owner continued to speak, “I know you guys weren’t just chatting about us during lunch. Especially not you Inaho. What are your thoughts about the Kakatphrat?”

“I’m assuming most of you know this, but everything that hits the Kataphrakt is never reflected, rather it’s absorbed.”

“Laser, infrared, anything really.” Calm sighed while Inko nodded.

“There’s not even an echo return.”

“Yeah, we kinds figured that out when we saw machine shaped holes in buildings without any derbies lying on the floor dipshit.” Ayato sneered earning an irritated glare from Ken.

“Hush you. But he does have a point we already know this. Now for some reason everything is absorbed except for our Kagune which don’t ask me why because I don’t have the faintest idea.”

“Considering you’re an abnormality in our world, it’s logical that no one would know why without proper studies.” Inaho sighed.

“It sounds more like a suit of armor or even a wall the way you put it.” Hide sighed heavily. “Except you can’t exactly go around it, over it, or even under. Hell, how does he even see if nothing can get through that defensive barrier?”

“What do you mean by that?” Inko asked with a puzzling look on her face. “He was certainly chasing after us and pin pointed our location quite easily.”

“Actually…..Hide-nii may have a point.” Himani added, “When I was fighting him, I aimed for his head thinking it would be a weaker spot, but it was just as strong as the rest of his body. That ‘wall’ he has for a defensive barrier doesn’t leave any blind spots so just how could he see my attacks if nothing can go through that barrier?”

“He has another set of eyes for him….” Touka spoke up, her eyes widening as well as the rest of the ghouls. “So those drone planes he has flying around—”

“They’re not weapons—”

“They’re fucking cameras!”

“Hey, the non ghouls in the room have no idea what you’re talking about.” Hide interrupted, waving his hands trying to gather the ghouls’ attention.

“When we were going to meet up with you, we saw the Martian Kataphrakt in the distance and we notice several drone looking planes flying high above the sky where it would be hard for a human to notice.” The café owner mumbled before her brother took over. “At first we thought they were his weapons but seeing that his barrier is both his defense and offensive, he wouldn’t even need the extra help.”

“It also explained why he could see our attacks. He had a bird’s eye view of the entire fight.” Miko sighed heavily. “And it also explains why he didn’t chase us once we reached the underpass.”

“He wouldn’t be able to see what’s in front of him.” Inaho concluded with a slight smile on his face. He was glad that there were people who could quickly come to conclusions just as fast as him, even if they needed a push in the right direction.

“So if we take away his vision, he’ll have no choice but to release his barrier right?” Inko exclaimed, “And then we can attack him—” Miko shook her head.

“The cameras are too high for us to even reach and he’ll probably spot you trying to calculating a shot before you could even shoot it out of the sky.”

“Not to mention, we can’t rule out the possibility that another Martian is nearby and can immediately come to aid once this Martian loses his sights.” Ken sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his brow in frustration before Hide spoke up.

“And there’s also a possibility that he could decide to fuck it, and run loose until he hits us. Either way, taking out his camera’s permanently is not an option.”

"But...you guys just said that nothing gets through the barrier right?" Touka spoke up, "Then how is he seeing through the cameras? It has to have some sort of signal that goes back to him right? And if the barrier blocks that, then--"

"There has to be a small area that isn't protected by the barrier then." Inaho reasoned, his eyes widening at the new information. With this, they could take out the Kataphrakt without replying too much on the ghouls. "If we can find out where the barrier doesn't apply, we can successfully attack the Kataphrakt."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Ken asked, "While I like to think we can successfully attack the Kataphrakt for several minutes, it would be a pain to search it thoroughly."

"Not to mention, the Kataphrakt would probably figure out that we're searching for it's Achilles heel and use something else against us." Miko reasoned as she sighed heavily. "We would need to find a way that will force the Kataphrakt to use it barrier all around him in order to even see if there's an area that's not being absorbed."

"Not to mention, a way to hide our plan that doesn't involve getting rid of the cameras permanently."

“What about a smoke screen?” Hinami asked, “I created one when I was fighting and it seemed to hold up well. He didn’t attack until I came out of it.”

“We could use it to not only cover our attacks, but give coverage to the civilians as they escape.” Inaho mused as an idea formed in his head. “A very promising plan but we’re going to need to use a decoy.”

“Because for some reason, he’s very intent on killing us…someone will have to drive a look alike truck while the real one escapes. Although, that’s going to be dangerous enough as it is….” Miko sighed heavily before turning her head sharply towards the door. Inaho followed her gaze and he was surprised to see the other ghouls glaring at the door as well.

“The three of you shouldn’t spy like that.” Hinami called out, standing up as she quickly opened the door just in time to let the two girls Inaho and Hide saved earlier fall in as they no longer had a door to keep them upright. Hinami calmly stepped over them and looked out the hallway with a narrow stare. “I know you’re just beyond that corner. Come out. It’s rude to listen to other’s people conversations.”

“Oh it’s the Scandinavian chick and her little sister…” Calm muttered, “But who is Hinami talking—”

“It’s not my fault that you were being overly loud.” A new voice echoed. Seconds later, the red haired girl Inaho’s sister saved just a couple hours ago, stood awkwardly at the entrance as Hide and Kaneki quickly helped the other girls up, giving them rather guarded looks. Was it because they were spying or something else?

“Considering that you were technically spying on a military meeting, I’m sure none of you would mind being part of this operation as well.” Miko growled at the girls as they unconsciously stepped towards the high schoolers.

“H-hey just a minute we can’t make them put their life on the line just because—” Calm begin before Miko’s glare shut him instantly.

“This is war Calm. We can’t take any chances of the wrong people finding out our plans. Who knows they might be in league with the Martian or just stupid teens who don’t know when to keep their heads down. Either way, they must have known that they would have consequences of spying otherwise they wouldn’t have done it at all. Or am I wrong?” This time Miko directed her questions to the girls. The Light bruntette and smaller girl were slightly shivering while the red head looked determined at the ghoul.

“I want revenge for my father. That Martian Kataphrakt killed him.”

“Sound reason enough, but how do we know that once he’s eliminated, you won’t turn against us?” Ken asked as he gave her a long cold stare.

“I’m not stupid enough to go back and hurt the people that saved me.”

“Very well then, you can be the driver of our decoy car.” He answered after a couple seconds of silence. “Then—”

“Wait hold it! Why can’t I be the driver?” Hide cried. “I’m older and more experienced in driving. I don’t think she even knows how to drive when you’re on two wheels that are not side to side!”

“It’s true, you would ideally be the better drive for this part since you have exceptional skills. However, we also need a driver for the civilians as well.” Miko argued back.

“But—”

“If things go south, we need someone who can outmaneuver that Martian Kataphrakt.” Ken spoke up, giving him a small smile. “You did it once, I’m sure you can do it again.”

“You just want me out of harm’s way.” Hide pouted angrily before giving into a smile as Ken patted his shoulder.

“Not to mention, you’ll be with Hinami and Touka.”

“Wait what?! I understand Hinami but why me?!” Touka shouted, glaring angrily at the café owner, clearly destroying her soft look. Although, she technically broke it when she argued with her brother.

“You know why, Touka. Ken told me about your conditions and…..I don’t want to take any more risks than necessary.”

“I-I want to help as well!” The brunette girl cried gathering the attention of the occupants in the room. For a moment she said nothing as the attention most likely caught her by surprise before she steeled herself and spoke up once more. “I feel that in this time of crisis, I must overcome this trial.”

“Middle School Syndrome?” Okisuke muttered before Inko elbowed their friend hard in the stomach.

“Very well, you’ll be with miss red head here and you’ll help take the Martian Kataphrakt’s attention away from the civilians.”

“Are you sure it’s fine with just the two of them.” Hide asked. “It’s a lot to ask for teenagers—”

“Of course they’re not going to go alone.” Miko huffed. “What you think I would let kids go into battle unarmed? Sheesh. I’ll be with them making sure no harm comes to them. Ken and Ayato will accompany the three who choose to fight off the Kataphrakt.”

“So We’re actually going to fight off that fucking piece of junk?” Ayato smirked, looking more alert than he did in the beginning. “Finally.”

“Ugh, boys and fighting.” Miko sighed heavily but Inaho could see s small trace of a smile dancing on her lips. “So now that we know what—oh for the love of god, when are people going to stop interrupting us!” She groaned just as the door to the classroom opened once more, revealing Inaho’s very flustered sister and an exasperated school doctor behind her.

“Nao-kun! What’s the meaning of this?! What do you mean you’re going to fight!?”

“Oh, you’re awake.” Inaho muttered, ignoring his sister frustrated glare at him. “I suppose you want a summary of what we discussed then?”

“Obviously!”

“Thank god we’re not like that.” Inaho barely heard the indigo haired woman mutter her comment and to his surprise her brother nodded in agreement.

“Nao-kun!”

“Ugh, I’m getting coffee.”

* * *

 

_**Hinami’s POV** _

It had been a rough couple hours, but somehow they managed to get through all of it and their plan was well underway. Yuki-san, while worried for their welfare, eventually gave in once Inaho went through a thorough explanation of their….well rather his plan. Of course he had left the part out where Ayato and Nii-san would come in and participate in the fight, but even without them, Inaho’s plan sounded almost fool proof.

“H-hinami-chan!” Inko called out, stopping the young ghoul in her tracks. As she turned around, she saw Inko wrapped in a spare blanket they managed to find in the school gym and smiling softly at her.

_She decided to come talk to me already?_ Hinami thought in surprise. _I thought it would take longer for her to even accept me…..Like Okisuke…_.

While he wasn’t frightened of her like he was in the truck, Hinami could still smell the fear radiating off him whenever they made eye contact. While she was glad that he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, she doubted that they could ever return to the normal relationship they had. With all of her friends actually. They could never return.

“Hinami-chan….are you ok?” “I’m….I’m fine Inko-chan.” Hinami force a smile on her face. “Is….is there something you needed? I think I saw Nao-kun tinkering with the KG-6 Sleipin in the hanger.”

“N-no I already talked to him.” Inko smiled sadly before she grabbed Hinami’s hand and looked up at her with a slight fearful gaze.

_Is she scared of me….or is she scared of the operation tomorrow?_ After all it had been decided with a game of straws who would join Inaho—since it was mostly his plan—and Inko and Calm were the chosen ones. They weren’t used to putting their lives on the line, wondering if they would see their friends for the last time. They weren’t used to wondering if they would live to see another day.

“I…I just wanted to ask you….how were you so strong back there…facing the Martian Kataphrakt by yourself?” She whispered causing Hinami’s eyes to grow wide. “Because….I want to be….just as fearless as you when we go out there tomorrow, but….I can’t help but think about the worst scenarios and we nearly lost Okisuke today….” Hinami wanted to laugh at the ironic situation. She wasn’t brave…no not in the slightest. She was never fearless….she was just afraid of being weak.

“To…tell you the truth Inko-chan…”Hinami began as she felt her eyes water—when did she lose her emotions so quickly? “I….I wasn’t fearless….I wasn’t trying to be brave….I was scared. I was so scared that I was going to lose my family….so scared of being helpless again that I just acted. I was tired of being weak that I attacked, not really thinking of an elaborate plan like Nao-kun. Maybe if I had only though it out before, we wouldn’t be here, maybe I could have taken down the Martian Kataphrakt.” Maybe you wouldn’t have to fight in my place and worry about dying.

“What do you mean, if it wasn’t for you, we would be with one less friend here.” Inko cried as she gripped Hinami’s hands tightly once more. “Even if you don’t think you were brave….I do—”

“NO! I’m….I’m…just a coward….a coward afraid of losing everything I love.” Hinami sniffed as memories of her family’s death appeared before her once more. “I….I couldn’t save my father…..and I let my mother die in front of me….” Hinami sobbed, no longer caring that she had an audience with her now. She just had to let her emotions she bottled up for so many years just go. It was bound to happen sooner or later especially after her friend’s reaction to her Ghoul side. Even though she was prepared of being rejected, it still hurt a lot when they had whispered the word monster in the truck. “Nii-san got hurt, Onee-san was nearly killed because I couldn’t find her in time….I’m just so scared of loosing everyone I care about! I just want to do everything on my own! So none of you will be in danger ever again! But in the end I’m just too weak and I don’t want to be weak again!” She cried as she hugged Inko.

“If anything, I’m scared that because of my weakness, you guys will get hurt tomorrow!” Hinami barely noticed Inko’s arms as she wrapped them around her body or the whispered words that were probably meant for comfort. All Hinami could feel at the moment was shame and misery. But she was grateful for the comfort the high schooler tried to provide even though there was no way she could empathize with her….no one really could except perhaps her ghoul family. But they all still had their own demons to worry about. She couldn’t burden them with her own problems. She didn’t know how long she stayed in Inko’s arms crying her eyes out but once she finally finished, she was glad that Inko only smiled softly at her and hugged her tightly once more.

“Don’t die tomorrow….please.” Hinami whispered as she felt Inko’s arms tighten around her. “I….I don’t want to lose anyone again.”

“We’ll come back in one piece….I promise…”

* * *

 

“Oh god, that was so embarrassing!” Hinami cried into her hands the next morning, her face all red. While she couldn’t recall how she even managed to get back into her bed or what happened after she had asked Inko not to die, she still remembered her emotional outburst. She hadn’t intended to get all emotional, or to spill her dark secret, but it had been a very frustrating day and…she just had to let it out…

_I hadn’t cried like that since my mother died…_ She thought miserably as the she remembered watching her mother’s pained smile before she ran off like a coward.

_Weak, Pathetic, useless…_

“I need to be strong….like Onee-san and Nii-san. Even Touka-nee wouldn’t have cried that easily.” She muttered to herself as she splashed water onto her face. “I bet even Ayato-kun wouldn’t have even frowned…”

“Hinami-chan?” Hide’s voice echoed out of the girl’s bathroom, startling the young ghoul. “Are you done? We need to start heading out soon.”

_That’s right….soon everyone will commence with the plan to take down that Martian Kataphrakt._

“C-coming!” She replied as she quickly dried her face before looking at her reflection and frowned at what she saw. Her eyes were still slightly red from all the crying she did last night. “Pull yourself together Hinami….with all the information we gathered, they should be relatively safe from the Kataphrakt….there shouldn’t be any casualties…not to mention, Onii-san, Onee-san, and Ayato-kun will be keeping them safe….nothing bad is going to happen….no one is going to die….they’ll be safe….”

_And without you getting in the way, the casualty count should reduce significantly less._ Her conscious taunted her causing her eyes to dull once more. _Because you are—_

“Hinami-chan?”

“S-sorry!” Grateful for the interruption, Hinami quickly combed her bed hair and unlocked the bathroom door where Hide was waiting for her. “Was I keeping everyone?”

“Nope! Miko’s still changing into her ‘battle suit’ as she likes to call it.” Hide smirked as the two of them walked towards the cafeteria where the civilians were finishing packing their things. “Well, it’s better than her first one she made.”

“True.” Hinami giggled as she remembered the outfit as well. “What about Nii-san and Ayato-kun? Are they ready?”

“Yup, all geared up for battle. I’m still amazed that Kaneki still fits in that tight leather outfit.” Hide chuckled as a small and barely notable blush danced on his cheeks. Just as Hinami was about to comment on the blush, Inaho’s sister appeared in view.

“Ah, Hinami-chan! Hide-san! There you guys are! We’re about ready.” She smiled in relief as she reached the two of them. “Everyone is in the truck and ready to go. We’re just waiting on Nao-kun and the others to get into their positions.”

“Ah…..it’s time then huh…” Hinami muttered to herself before Hide gave her a comforting pat on the head.

“Hey….don’t worry about them. They’ll be fine. And they have Kaneki, Miko-chan, and Ayato-kun helping out. So don’t worry too much alright.” Biting her lip Hinami just nodded. Just then, Yuki’s phone rang.

“Ah Nao-kun, are you ready?” “Yes,” Hinami heard Inaho’s voice through the phone despite it not being on speaker.

“We are all ready to go. Once you fire the flares, we’ll head out.”

“I’m collecting Hide-san and Hinami-chan right now,” Yuki answered before smiling sadly into her mobile phone. “Just stay safe Nao-kun…alright?”

“……We’ll try.” And with that he cut the line, leaving them alone in silence. Sighing heavily, Yuki gave the two of them a tired smile. “Well….Nao-kun and the others are in position….We should get going as well….”

"Yeah….they have some major butt to kick.” Hide smiled brightly. “They’ll be fine Yuki-chan. Trust them.” The wounded Kataphrakt pilot could only sigh.

“I hope you’re right Hide-san…I really do.” Hinami could only sigh heavily as they finally entered the truck, waiting for Yuki to fire off the flares to signal not only the Martian but Nao-kun and the others. Once they drove off, Hide would drive all of them to safety once the Martian Kataphrakt could no longer spot them. And hopefully they could meet up at the harbor where they could board the evacuation ship and get to safety before any more Martians show up. She tried to give hopeful smiles to the civilians around her, but even she knew they could tell it was forced.

“T-they’ll be fine.” Okisuke muttered to her as he took a seat near Hide as he took out his binoculars. “It’s Inaho after all…..and….your sister….she won’t let anything happen to any of them…”

“I….I…..yeah.” Hinami sighed as she took a seat next to the smaller girl the disguised princess was with chuckling lightly as she gave the ghoul an annoyed glare before she nervously began playing with her fingers.

_Please be careful…._

“Alright everyone!” Yuki shouted as she entered the truck just as Hide turned it on. Hinami didn’t even lift her head, too worried about her friends to even listen. “We’re heading out!”

_Please…..I….. don’t want….I don’t want anything to happen to you guys…please… come back alive._

The attack offically started.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, regarding Kaneki's name, when it's someone else calling him, it's usually going to Ken except for Hide and Touka because well, I can't see Hide calling Kaneki Ken really. Besides, it's easier for Hide to say in it a teasing voice then Ken (ex: Ka~Ne~Ki~! V.S. Ken~!) Now Unless you guys feel it's weird or a bit hard to understand then please tell me. I won't mind changing it to Kaneki for everything.


	5. Ghouls Back in Action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, this chapter was a bit harder to write out. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter though!

_**Miko’s POV** _

“There’s the signal.” The café owner muttered to herself as she sat cross legged on top of the decoy truck that she had made look similar to the evacuation truck. Since they only had a SUV and a sports car in the tunnel along with the Evacuation truck, they really had no other choice since they needed the real evacuation truck for the civilians. Now that she knew where the cameras were positioned, she could easily fool the Martian into thinking that it was the real truck. Not to mention, she could hide the others until they began their plan.

“Even though it looks like an armored truck, I still don’t feel that safe in it.” The ghoul heard the daughter assassin—Rayet—mutter as she started the SUV.

“We’re the decoy, there’s bound to be danger involved.” Miko shouted over the engine before she poked her head through the sun roof and nearly scared the two girls. “But fear not, I’ll make sure nothing too bad happens.”

“For some reason, I don’t feel any safer….” The red head muttered, “Especially with that stupid mask on.”

“Is there a reason why you wear the mask um…miss—”

“Miko,” The ghoul answered the brunette—actually disguised princess—before smiling tightly at her. Even though the teenage martian girl in front of her couldn’t take her down physically, Miko could still feel the waves of the Aldnoah Zero rolling off her uncontrollably. She couldn’t help but feel tense around her even though she was probably as harmless as a puppy. “Let’s just say it’s a force of habit…and not to mention, I would like my face to remain unseen if we happen to come cross another Martian that escapes us.”

“Oh….”

“You could just say it’s a fetish of yours.” Rayet muttered as she pressed the gas pedal, forcing the SUV to exit the tunnel. Miko sighed heavily as they sped across the road and immediately made a beeline towards the bridge near the pier.

 _And he should start moving any second now, if our reports were correct…_ Miko thought as she glared at the Martian Kataphrakt behind them, standing still as a statue before moving it’s leg. _And now the chase begins…_

“Where are you guys now?” Miko asked into her ear set as she calmly stared at the Martian Kataphrakt slowly making its way towards them. “I mean, I thought you guys were supposed to blind the sucker already.”

“Sorry,” Miko hear her brother grunt over the engine of the Kataphrakt carrier. “It’s been a while since I actually drove a car…well truck actually.”

“Ah, that brings back memories.” Miko chuckled, “I still remember you crashing into a light post at five miles an hour when I first taught you.”

“Wait, he doesn’t know how to drive?!” Calm’s voice echoed through the ear piece. “Why is he the one driving then?!”

“I do know how to.” Ken grunted as he finally came into view after turning a corner with the two other trainer Kataphrakts trailing behind him. “I learned in America.”

“Um….I know this may be a bad time to mention this but um…doesn't anyone find it strange that Ken-san sounds a lot like Inaho…..just older?” Inko muttered, silencing everyone on the radio. It took a couple moments before Miko burst out laughing.

“Holy shit! You’re actually right! Hahahaha, no wonder Hinami made quick friends with Inaho! She probably felt safe when she heard your voice.” Miko laughed before realizing what she said. “Not that you have a horrible personality Inaho,” Miko quickly amended as she could hear both her brother and the young human grunt, “But with Hinami’s personality….I just found it strange that she made friends with you first.”

“We can talk about this later.” Inaho sighed. “We need to continue our plan, we don’t know how much longer Miko-san’s illusions can hold up.”

_Ah, so he knows something is up with my abilities…..I don’t know if he made the connection yet, but I shouldn’t be rule out that possibility._

“Miko-nee….are they ready?” Ken asked, snapping the half ghoul out of her thoughts. Looking back into the SUV, the ex-café owner saw the disguised princess already reaching for the smoke grenade launcher.

“Yup. Start firing away!” She smiled into the small radio as she stood on the roof of the truck before smiling brightly at the cameras as she released her illusion. “Oh I wish I can see that Martian’s face right now.” She chuckled as Inko and Calm quickly fired their grenades and provided a cloud of cover for them.

“Oi!” Ayato’s voice cut into the channel, sounding very annoyed. “If he isn’t moving, then how the hell are we going to get the fucker to the planned destination?”

“In due time.” Inaho answered, “We just need to make sure that he doesn’t spot us getting into our position otherwise, he may figure out our plan.”

_I highly doubt it, considering it’s mostly likely a noble tailing us and most nobles think they know everything._

“I hate to burst your bubble, but something is heading our way.” Her brother grunted—Miko could barely hear him over the explosion as the princess finally shot out the smoke grenade. “It seems that the Martian had allies in the area.”

“Keep driving Ken, you need to get into position!” Miko ordered as she stood up just as a Martian plane flew over them, immediately lifting the smoke barrier they created. “Calm, Inko, Ayato! Take him out! I’m not sure we can continue with the plan if he begins moving before we planned!”

 _Damn_ , Miko glared at the Martian Kataphrakt as it began moving towards them once more. _I really had hoped that the pilot in the small plane wouldn’t be able to see us, but it’s flying is lifting the smoke._

“Miko-san! Do we—”

“Continue driving!” Miko shouted as Rayet made a tight turn. “We cannot deviate from the plan! The others will take care of it.”

 _I hope…._ Miko thought as she watched Calm and Inko’s Kataphrakt growing smaller and smaller in the distance. _They are just kids after all….._

* * *

_**Ayato’s POV** _

“What the fuck!” Ayato shouted as the Kataphrakt he was standing on, suddenly jerked. “Oi! A warning neck time or I’ll stab you!”

“Sorry!” The ghoul heard the blonde boy—Calm, what a ridiculous name—cry out in his cockpit before grunting. “But Miko-san ordered us to take down the plane.”

“Here it comes!” The girl cried just as Calm raised his ridiculously large automatic rifle and began shooting at the plane.

 _These guys have horrible aim_ Ayato thought as the bullets missed the plane entirely. _Then again they’re just fucking humans._

“Calm! Ayato-san!” Inko cried just as the plane began firing at them. Cursing his moment of distraction, Ayato quickly covered himself with his Ukaku just as the bullets made its mark. Despite taking several bullets to his Ukaku, Ayatp remained relatively unharmed….that is until Calm’s fucking Kataphrakt began falling.

“You fucking bastard! You could have crushed my fucking legs!” Ayato shouted as he barely rolled out of the way just as Calm’s Kataphrakt crashed into the streets. “Fucking humans.”

“Calm! Are you alright?!” Inko cried as she raced towards the fallen Kataphrakt before Ayato snarled at her.

“Are you fucking stupid or what!? The plane’s circling around, and facing your back! You’re asking to be a target!”

“As much as I hate to agree with the rude kid, he’s right Inko! I’m fine, just shoot down the plan!” The ghoul heard Calm groaned just as plane opened fire again. Thankfully,the female human was a bit smarter than the blonde and barely escaped the barrage of bullets. Ayato quickly jumped onto the remaining functioning Kataphrakt and scoffed as Inko tried to shoot down the plane.

“Do all humans have horrible aim, or are you two special?” Ayato sneered as Inko quickly took cover again as the plane turned around once more. “Even I have fucking better aim in my sleep.”

“Then why don’t you do something about it!?” Inko shouted and Ayato could easily imagine her frustrated face. It was so easy to rile up humans. “In case you forgotten, Miko-san asked ALL of us to take the plane down and you have yet done anything useful!”

 _That’s because there’s a limit on how far my Kagune can even reach…._ Ayato thought to himself. Not that he would even mention the reason why he had yet to participate in the fight. He didn’t need to answer the fucking human!

“Tch, I don’t need a lecture from you.” Ayato growled before he took a long look at the Kataphrakt arm and the distance of the plane. “How far can you throw?”

“What?” “Actually don’t answer that. I’m pretty sure if your aim is anything to go by, I’m sure you can’t even throw.” Ayato smirked as he could hear Inko’s heart rate increase rapidly. Her face should be a nice crimson color by now. And if he knew girls—if they were anything like his sister—the angrier they got, the more likely they would use violence.

“You—!”By now, Ayato made his way towards the clench fist of the Kataphrakt and gave Inko an indifference face.

“But if you want to get showered with Martian bullets, then by all means, don’t do anything.”

“You want to see how far I can throw!” Inko screamed as she positioned her Kataphrakt into a throwing position, “I’ll show you!”

 _At least humans are predictable_ Ayato smirked to himself as he flew through the air, getting closer to the plane. _Now, let’s see if Martians are just as predictable as Terrians._

“Nothing personal, but I’m going to enjoy this.” Ayato smirked as he began to see an outline of the pilot inside the cockpit. “Say goodbye—” Just as Ayato extracted his Uakaku to shoot down the Martian; he finally could see the pilot clearly and to his astonishment, he was mostly like their age if not younger, judging by his soft facial features. And to add salt to the wound, he looked just like that Kaneki bastard the night he took him to Aogiri, frighten as fuck.

“Fuck!” Ayato growled out as gravity began to take hold and bring back down to earth, widening the gap between them. “I’ll get you back one day bastard.” Ayato snarled to himself as he decided to shoot the engine rather than the pilot. “Fucking humans.” He expected to fall on concrete floor—possibly breaking a couple of bones in the process and healing them in seconds—but he was surprised to see a mechanical hand reaching out towards him and catching him in mid air.

“I’m so sorry!!” The ghoul heard the girl cry in her Kataphrakt, and he was surprised at the sincerity in her voice. What was she sorry for? He planned for her to throw him anyways. “I didn’t mean to put you in harms way!”

“Whatever,” Ayato muttered, secretly glad that she hadn’t noticed his hesitation in the air. “Now that the bastard is done with, what’s the next part of the plan?”

“We have to get into position.” Calm grunted as his Kataphrakt began to slowly rise. “My stabilizer is gone, but I can still run…barely though.”

“Tch, it’ll be faster if I go by myself.” Ayato grumbled as Inko placed him on the Kataphrakt’s shoulder before continuing on. “Not to mention, I still want to have another go at that fucking Martian.”

“Miko-nee and I should be able to handle it ourselves.” The teen ghoul heard the white haired ghoul through the radio and frowned further. “Not to mention, if further reinforcements come, we will need the three of you to make sure they do not aid the Martian Kataphrakt.”

“Bullshit! You think that puny human can find it’s weak point without getting killed?! Hell no, I’m not missing out on taking that piece of shit down!” Ayato shouted as he jumped down from the Kataphrakt and began running towards the bridge. “I’m fucking coming!”

“Ayato-san!”

“Leave him, you can’t do anything to stop him.” Ayato barely heard Ken’s voice through the Kataphrakt as he he ran further away from the two teens. “The two of you need to get into position now, other wise, Miko and the two girls will be in danger.”

 _Tch. Like hell they’re going to be in danger. Miko wasn’t called Kistune just for her looks._ Ayato thought to himself as he jumped from building to building before momentarily stopping on rooftop. _Then….then why the hell do I feel like something big is going to happen? Some catastrophic…._

“Tch, why the fucking hell am I caring for that bitch now?” He growled angrily as he punched a nearby wall. “What the hell do I care if humans get caught in the crossfire? It’s not my fucking problem….”

_It’s…not my problem…._

* * *

_ **Miko’s POV** _

“We are cutting it very close girls!” Miko shouted over the wind as she looked back at the gaining Martian Kataphrakt. After that small sky carrier—hearing the disguised princess calling it by it’s official name only further proved that she was martian—came and nearly lifted the entire smoke screen they created, the Martian Kataphrakt began moving towards them a lot earlier than they had expected. Now they were barely a head of the running robot.

_Looks like I’ll have to eventually fight him off to make sure the girls won’t be in any danger._

“We still have ninety three seconds until the rendezvous point.” Miko heard the brunette mutter, “Will we make it?”

“We can out maneuver him in the mean time.” Rayet answered as she swerved. “Oi! Can’t you hold him back for a while?!”

“We’re not at the location just yet!” Miko shouted, “But I can direct you where to turn to avoid getting hit—swerve right now!” The ghoul was thankful that her training in the CCG and her dance classes helped her immensely with her balance otherwise she would have fallen off.

“Left!”

“Hard right!”

“And….now he’s pissed…” Miko gulped as she barely heard the enraged yell coming from the Kataphrakt cockpit before its arm swung not at them, but rather at the bridge instead, sending several metal poles flying at them. “Brace yourselves!” She cried as she released her Rinkaku and caught a majority of the poles before they could make contact. However it seemed that she missed a couple as the SUV swerved out of control, giving the Martian Kataphrakt an opening. “Fuck!” Miko cried as she stumbled off the truck and rolled painfully onto the cement floor just as the Martian struck the end of the SUV forcing it to stop abruptly as it crashed into a nearby light pole.

 _Shit, the girls!_ Miko thought as she quickly stood up, only to have her Rinkaku surround her quickly as the purple Kataphrakt’s hand wrapped around her, trying to squeeze her.

“You’ve and those other freaks are a thorn in my side!” The Martian growled over the speakers as he tighten his hold on her. “I’ll first destroy you and then the rat!”

 _So he is targeting Rayet for her involvement of the assassination._ Miko thought as she struggled to free herself. _Nice of him to think of us as threats though…._

“Cease this immediately!” Miko snapped her head—well as far as she could—and saw the princess walking calmly towards the Kataphrakt as if she wasn’t in any danger.

_What the hell does she think she’s doing!? IS she trying to get herself killed?! Or is she…..fuck!_

“Ken! Get your ass over here now before the girl decides to do anything stupid!” Miko screamed into the mic before crying out in pain as she felt her right foot disappear as it accidentally kicked the Kataphrakt.  

_Holy crap, that thing does absorb everything, and it hurts like fuck! I'm amazed it's not spreading to my entire my body._

“KEN!”

“We’re almost there! Just wait a couple of seconds!” Ken cried. “Stop her!”

“I would if I wasn’t in a bone crushing grip!” Miko grunted again as she continued to struggle only to be blinded by a shower of light before a wave of the Aldnoah Drove swoop over her.

 _Holy fuck!_ Miko cried mentally as the Aldnoah Drive continue to flow out of the princess—now that she stupidly revealed herself to her assassin—and painfully struck her in waves. 

_Is this the full power of the Aldnoah Drive? I feel like my insides are burning uncontrollably! And my head, it hurts so much!_ Thankfully her captor was just as surprised at the outcome and let go of her just as a barrage of missiles came from the ocean.

“Reinforcements….” Miko panted heavily as she held her head tightly, “From our side?”

“It looks like….Lt. Marito…” Miko could barely hear her brother over the intense throbbing her head was going through. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought her brain was trying to break out of her skull. And….if she wasn’t going crazy….she could have sworn there was something crawling on the right side of her head….next to her ear.

“Fuck….fuck….fuck….” Miko hissed painfully as she curled into a fetal position as images flashed in her mind. She couldn’t even hear the bullets from Inko’s Sniper destroying the bridge she was on.

_“Ken! Don’t forget to get that Rize girl a nice gift for the date!”_

_“I’m scared Trisha! What if he doesn’t make it?!”_

 

_“Don’t you dare tell me that my friend and brother are monsters! They care for people a lot more that you!”_

_“Please! Please don’t make me do this Trisha! I can’t—I can’t lose anyone else!”_

 

_“Run, Hide! Run and take Ken with you! I’ll distract them!”_

_“I’m not betraying the CCG….I’m protecting the innocent just like I signed up for….”_

_“My name….is….Kaneki Miko…..twenty six years old…..First Class Investigator…..serial number 891919532…..my name is…..Kaneki…..GAHHHHHHHH!!!!!”_

_What the hell is going on? What are these memories?! I remember some but…the last couple……the last couple isn’t something that happened….right?_ Miko thought fearfully as more images of herself screaming for mercy inside a dark room made their existence known.

_This can’t be real….IT CAN’T BE REAL! THEY WOULDN’T HAVE—AAHHHHHHH!!!_

“GAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” Miko screamed aloud just as a particular memory came to light….one that she never wanted to relive again. Red filled her vision, but she couldn’t tell if it was from her memory or from reality. All she could feel was pain, the burning sensation of regenerating flesh and the color red….and white. White…..white was the doctor….white meant pain….white was no friend of hers!

“GET AWAY FROM ME!!!” Miko screeched fearfully as her blurry vision locked onto the white figure standing a couple of feet away from her. “NO MORE! NO MORE PAIN! PLEASE! I DON’T WANT TO FEEL PAIN ANY MORE!” No more pain! NO MORE! Without even realizing it she had released her Rinkaku—were they always so rough and unstable looking—and fired it towards the white figure. She thought she heard a muffle cry before a blue blur quickly grabbed the white figure, taking it out of harms way. She screeched in anger—or was it fear—before something slammed into her and sent her flying.

 _No….no more….no more letting them do whatever they want!_ Miko growled dangerously as she slowly forced herself up after the painful—no….not as painful as the memories—crash and glared at the newcomer who denied her right to destroy the white. As a mask began to form around her face, a voice…a clear and familiar voice, sang to her.

_**“Let’s show them they cannot just push us into a corner and expect us to lie down. Show them our fangs.”** _

“Yes….” Miko giggled as she turned her head and cracked her neck before it immediately healed, “Let’s show them not to mess with ghoul.”

* * *

_**Kaneki’s POV** _

“Hurry the fuck up!” Kaneki couldn’t help but shout to the girl—Inko, her name was Inko—as the bullets began to destroy the bridge slowly. His own head was pounding after the brief light show and if he was struggling to keep his….darker….side at bay because of the sudden Aldnaoh wave, he didn’t want to think what his own sister was going through since she was much closer to the princess. The faster they finished taking out the Martian Kataphrakt, the faster he could take his sister away from the rest of them while he helped her calm down.

 _If I can even calm her down_ Kaneki thought as he watched the Martian Kataphrakt fall from the bridge and into the bay. Now, it was his turn. Jumping from Inaho’s Sleiphr, Kaneki quickly secured the Martian’s mechanical arms to prevent them from flailing with his…well rather Rize’s Rinkaku, and immediately began searching for the small clink in its armor.

 _Just a little longer._ Kaneki hopelessly thought as Miko’s screams pierced the sky. _Once I find it, Inaho can take care of the rest and I can immediately go to you. Just please….don’t let the princess do anything stupid._

“Right between its arms!” Kankei called out as he spotted an area where the water wasn’t getting absorbed. “Go! I have to go and check on my sister!” He knew they all heard the screams, but he wasn’t in position to answer their obvious question.

“She was the one screaming?” The other boy—Calm—asked through the speaker as Kaneki let go of the arms just as Inaho was sneaking up from behind. He was grateful that Inaho wasn’t letting Miko’s screams distract him from the mission. But he was probably just as worried. “Why?”

 _Because it’s the Aldnoah Drive._ Kaneki grunted as he hurled himself up on the bridge where the two human girls were at. He stumbled onto the ground as he felt the full force of the Aldnoah drive up close and personal. It took all of his concentration not to fall completely under the Aldnoah’s influence as he struggled to stand up and scan the area for the humans.

 _There’s Raye_ t Kaneki thought as he saw the red head Martian girl stepping back away from Miko, _But where’s the princess?_ As he scanned the bridge for the missing girl, his heart stopped as his eyes finally found her—could the princess be any more naïve! The Martian princess was slowly walking towards the convulsing half ghoul as she was screaming, disregarding the dangers coming from the unstable half ghoul.

_To be honest, no one knows just how dangerous ghouls can be, but still…common sense would still have people backing away in fear._

“Don’t!” He gasped out taking a weak step forward. “Get away from her!”

“But she’s in pain!” Princess Asseylum cried out as she turned around—her second mistake—to face Kaneki, “We have to help her!”

 _You’re the one causing her pain!_ Kaneki’s eyes widen as his sister began to tremble even more before screaming out,

“GET AWAY FROM ME!!! NO MORE! NO MORE PAIN! PLEASE! I DON’T WANT TO FEEL PAIN ANY MORE!”

 _She’s remembering the time during her torture._ The half ghoul realized; this was far worse than he imagined. If she was reliving her time with….THEM….then she may already pegged them as enemies especially Asseylum with her white dress.

“Miko-nee! Don’t!” The white haired ghoul cried as his sister released her Rinkaku—they were all uneven and looked nothing like Trisha’s—and shot it straight towards the unsuspecting princess.

 _Fuck! I won’t reach her in time!_ Kaneki thought in horror as Asseylum’s face finally turned one into terror as the Rinanku raced towards her, _Just as we save her, we also kill her._

“Are you fucking insane!?” Ayato’s voice cried out, immediately calming Kaneki’s frantic heart as the youngest ghoul quickly grabbed the princess and carried her out of harm’s way. “What kind of idiot looks for danger!?” Ayato snarled down at the trembling princess before turning towards him. “Oi! You gonna do shit?!”

“No need to say a thing.” Kaneki growled as he swiftly ran past the two and body slammed into his sister, sending her flying to the edge of the bridge.

 _I’m sorry Miko-nee, but the further you are from humans, the less likely you’ll hurt them._ Kaneki took a deep breath as his sister’s Kagune began to form around her face, forming a different mask than the one laying next to his feet.

It was the face of a laughing fox.

“Yes….” Miko giggled as she turned her head towards him and cracked her neck loudly, “Let’s show them not to mess with ghoul.”

“Ayato. Get Rayet and the Princess out of here.” Kaneki growled as he lowered himself into a defensive position as his sister’s Kagune continued to mold itself around her arms and legs, creating claws. “And make sure Inaho is out of danger as well.”

“You don’t plan on taking her by yourself are you! That’s fucking suicide!” Ayato shouted as he quickly grabbed the other girl—not before heaving the princess over his right shoulder and held her with one arm—and ignored her protest. “And princess, change out of this fucking dress! How the hell do you think I’m going to see past piece of shit you call a dress?! It’s more like a fucking curtain!”

“GO AYATO!” Kaneki roared as he released his own Rinkaku just as Miko disappeared from view only to appear right in front of him giggling insanely as she slashed at him with her Kakuja. “Their safety comes first!”

 _And if you can, come back as soon as possible_ Kaneki thought as his sister sent him flying with her Rinkaku tail, breaking several bones in the process, _I’m not sure if I can keep my own demons from taking control._ He smirked as he cracked his finger once he finished healing his own bones.

“Well dear sister….it seems that I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.”

* * *

_ **Ayato’s POV** _

“Well dear sister….it seems that I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.” Ayato couldn’t help but shiver at Ken’s cold voice, instantly reminding the fifteen year old the time when the white haired ghoul taught him a lesson. Even though the half ghoul had…apologized….in his own way, Ayato still found it hard to fully trust Ken.

Many would think that the white haired ghoul wouldn’t even consider making others suffer—hell he still pulled his nice guy act in America to get him and his damn sister an education and people thought he was the sweetest person—until they pissed him off. Then they would see the Ken that Ayato fought and lost against—well that’s if they even lived to remember.

“W-what’s going on?” The princess stuttered in his hold, bring the ghoul back to the situation at hand “W-why—”

“Just what the fuck are they!? Who the fuck are you!” The red head human shouted—still struggling from his grip—as Ayato continued to speed across the bridge, away from the half ghouls’ fight.

_At least this human’s smart enough to know who’s dangerous and who’s not._

“Ghouls. And whatever the fuck you did,” Ayato growled to the Princess instantly silencing her, “Affected that bitch more than we predicted. If that Ken bastard can’t stop his ragging sister, you’ll have bigger problems than worrying if I’ll drop you.” He ignored the girls’ screams as he jumped down from the bridge and landed on the sound alike Ken’s Machine.

“What’s going on?” Inaho asked, as he opened his palm to hold Ayato and the girls better. “Ken-san said he was going to check up on his sister. What happened to her?”

“She went crazy after miss dumbass revealed herself and shot that bitch with the Aldnoah Drive.” Ayato shouted, “If we don’t get away from here, then we’ll become her next target instead of that Ken bastard!”

“Wait, me? But I d-didn’t do anything!” The blonde martian argued just as the orange Kataphrakt’s head nodded and proceeded to run back towards shore. “I didn’t even harm her! I was only trying to help her!”

“For starters, you can fucking stop manipulating the Aldnoah Drive!” Ayato seethed, glaring angrily at the princess as he dropped her unceremoniously. She quickly backed away from him, fear etched onto her face.

_Good, she’s finally getting common sense!_

“Aldnoah Drive?” She whispered fearfully, “But….I’m not….I didn’t even force the Kataphrakt—”

“How can you not even fucking notice it!? It’s like spewing out of you like a fucking fire hydrant!” Ayato shouted, “I can’t even activate my Ukaku! If Ken can’t hold his sister back, this piece of shit won’t be able to even hold five minutes against—” The rest of the ghoul’s sentence was lost by the barrage of cannons coming from the offshore rescue boat as it struck the bridge once more, destroying a good portion of it. “Are they fucking idiots!” Ayato screamed in frustration as he looked back. “It’s only to make things worse for all of us!”

“Should we be worry if a black tentacle is coming out from the smoke?” Rayet asked, her voice wavering as two inhuman screeches echoed in the harbor, sending a chill down Ayato’s spine as the smoke slowly evaporated, revealing the damage the humans had unwilling caused.

“Fuck, the two of them are now out of control….” Ayato whispered as there were now two Kakujas instead of one battling for dominance. The infamous Centapide and the Laughing Fox. And to make matters worse, they were laughing….insanely. “We’re fucked.”

“At least they’re focused on each other.” Rayet nervously muttered as she clung onto the princess’s shoulder as she watched the half ghouls lose their minds. “I mean, they haven’t noticed us—” She quickly shut up as the laughter coming from the ghouls stopped. “Right?”

“Oh they noticed us.” Ayato gulped as he saw Miko smile insanely at them. “Run faster you idiot!” He shouted at Inaho as he quickly grabbed the human girls and shielded them with his body, hating Ken even more for making him protect the humans. Before the male human could even reply, a barrage of Kagune projectiles struck them, destroying a good chuck of the orange Kataphrakt and practically rendering it useless, and leaving some deep injuries on Ayato’s back. He hissed in pain as the Kagune slowly began to disappear leaving large gaping holes in his back, healing a lot more slowly than he was used to.

“A-ayato-san!”

“Fuck! This isn’t good!” Ayato grunted, “Oi! You still alive in there!” Looking up at the Kataphrakt, even Ayato had to wince at its condition. Several of the projectiles had pierced the metal—some even went straight through—and others were stuck in its joints. And to make matters worse, some of the Kagune pierced the cockpit.

“Ngh…somewhat.” Ayato heard Inaho grunt in pain.

_Thank god. Ken and that bitch would have killed me if he died._

“But…the Kataphrakt is no longer in working condition.”

“Fuck.” Ayato growled as he quickly released his hold on the human girls and jumped to the cockpit. “Can you get the fuck out?” The machine groaned as it tried to open only for it crackle and stay stubbornly shut.

“It seems that the projectiles damaged the circuitry as well. Not even the emergency release switch is working.” Ayato cured once more. Now he had three humans to protect while trying to fight off two out of their mind ghouls.

_And I’m practically useless here! Without my Ukaku, I’m a sitting duck. Fuck….is this what—no time to think about the past, I have to focus on getting these fucking idiots out of harms way. First thing’s first…._

“Oi! Stop feeding the Aldnoah shit or whatever!” Ayato shouted to the startled princess, “If I can’t activate my Ukaku, we’re all fucked!”

“And how do we know you won’t turn on us!?” The red head shouted, “What if you become like them—”

“Then I wouldn’t have saved your pathetic asses!” He argued back before turning to the princess glaring angrily at her. God just how stupid was she? How could she not know about the power she held? “So whatever you did before, undo it! Because we were all perfectly fine before you went princess on us!”

“Princess? Oh you mean—”

“Fox looking monster heading straight towards us!!” Rayet screamed as she pointed behind him. Ayato couldn’t help but pale at the female ghoul, her mask not helping her image as her Kagune wrapped around her arms and legs to form deadly claws, aimed right at him.

“Oh shit.” He muttered, wide eye before a flash of light blinded him.

“Ayato-san!”

* * *

 

_ **Hide’s POV** _

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Hide screamed, angrily pushing a student out of the firing control before glaring angrily at the light brunette woman who had ordered the attack. He knew she had nothing personal against them—she was only thinking about the safety of the people on board—but even then, Hide found it hard to not to dislike her especially since she reminded him of a certain co-worker he and Miko worked with. “You’re going to kill them!”

_And I can’t lose them again! Not after we just got back together. Not after we finally survived all the horrors those bastards made them go through._

“Considering that they may be in league—”

“If you weren’t blind, then you would have seen them helping Inaho take down that Martian!” He shouted angrily before turning towards Inaho’s sister. “Tell them! Tell them that Miko and Kaneki don’t mean any harm!”

“Wait, that was Miko?” Lieutenant Marito cried out, “That thing—monster didn’t even look like her!” Hide glared at the alcoholic for his description of his friend, basically older sister. How dare he even call her that; sure she make some calls that could make anyone question her morality, but she always cared for the people she loved! And that, for god knows why, included the drunkard.

“Hide-san…I know Miko means well but—”

“Something happened….she doesn’t….she wouldn’t be like this on her own!” Hinami’s voice cut in, drawing everyone’s attention to her. If Hide wasn’t so angry at the people around him, he would have given the young ghoul a smile for standing up for Miko. Hinami flinched underneath all the stares before she took a deep breath, steeling herself. “She has control over her Kagune, but something must have happened if she’s losing control now!”

_That light show must have involved the princess….and if it involved her then, the Aldnoah drive is affecting them more than we thought._

“Ma’am, it looks like there’s something else coming out from the smoke.” A student stuttered, forcing all their attention back to the bridge. Hide held his breath as the screen slowly began to focus on the ruins of the bridge. He hoped that the blast—

“Is that….a black tentacle?” Yuki asked, confirming Hide’s worst fear. Not only did Miko lose control, but Ken was gone as well….back to his old persona that he promised to never go back to. The ruthless cannibal ghoul….the Centipede.

“Hide-nii—”

“Let’s go. We have to get them back to normal.” Hide growled catching everyone by surprise. “We’re the only ones capable—”

“Hold on! What makes you think you can even take on those things?!” Lieutenant Marito shouted as he grabbed Hinami’s arm just as she was about to follow Hide out of the control room. “We don’t even had extra—”

“Stay out of our business!” Hide roared as he pulled Hinami out of the drunkard’s grip, glaring at the soldier. “It’s obvious you don’t even care that the monster you call is one of your friends! You don’t even fucking care about helping them at all! It seems it doesn’t even matter if they’re monsters or not, you just love leaving behind your friends.” Hide growled, not feeling the least bit guilty using the past against him. He knew it was petty of him and there were probably reasons for what had happened to the Lieutenant, but he couldn’t help it. He was just so angry at people always thinking the worst of his friends. But maybe he should have thought it over since a fist was coming straight towards his face.

“Please, refrain from using violence against my brother,” Hinami calmly muttered as she caught the ragging lieutenant’s fist with her own hand. “I know he said some hurtful things, but you did as well.”

“How—” Marito gasped as he struggled to pull out of the fifteen year old’s grip. “How are you—”

“As for stopping Miko-nee and Nii-san, I can assure you, we are more capable of doing it. So please, stay out of our way.” She growled lightly as she let go of her teacher’s hand and glared at him with her Kakugan. Everyone in the room gasped as she turned towards Hide and gave him a bright smile. “So, should I throw you, or do you think we can find a speed boat?” Hide couldn’t help but smirk at the shocked faces as he led Hinami out of the control room and to emergency boats the ship held. Thank god, even though he trusted Hinami enough to throw him, he never was great at landing.

“Boat first. You can throw me once we get closer to the bridge.”

_So I wont break any more bones._

“Just how do you plan on stopping them!” Yuki cried as she ran out after them, panting heavily. “Hinami can’t take on the both of them!”

“Don’t worry, this has happened before….just to a lesser extent.” Hide muttered as he scratched his chin. “We know how to calm them down.”

“Hide-nii! We have to hurry! Miko-nee, already shot at Inaho!” Hinami cried as she turned on the speed boat. Hide didn’t even have to turn around to know horror was etched onto Yuki's face at Hinami’s words. After all, Inaho was her only remaining family member she had left. “I’m not sure if Ayato can even activate his Kagune!”

“Ah, fuck.” Hide cursed as he quickly jumped into the boat before giving the young woman a nervous smile. “Don’t worry, Yuki-chan! We’ll make sure to bring your brother back….” The engine roared to life as Hinami pulled the gas level to full power and sped out of the hanger and towards the deadly ghouls.

“….I think….”

* * *

“Being under a crumbling bridge was probably not my best idea….” Hide grumbled as he slowed the boat down to cruise, trying not to wince at the shrill cries, battle shouts, and metal ripping just several yards away from him. While he was glad that Ken wasn’t taking part in the attack—Ayato and Hinami would have even more trouble—he was worried why his boyfriend wasn’t taking part of the chaos Miko was causing.

“Let’s see if all our tinkering and hopeful thinking actually made this gadget work.” Hide muttered as he reached for his back pocket before freezing as he felt a pair of eyes on him. Even though he worked for the CCG for less than a year, he never forget the feeling when he came across ghouls…..the feeling of being hunted. Slowly, Hide strained his neck up before his eyes met with a pair of mismatch eyes and a centipede mask. “Hey….Kaneki….sup man.” Hide chuckled nervously as the half ghoul tilted his head at him, probably wondering who he was.

_Or just wondering which part of me tastes better. Or maybe he’s thinking that I’m a stupid human for willingly coming close to a ghoul._

“So…..are you going to take me up or am I going to have to calm you—” Hide had to stifle a cry as Ken’s Rinkaku—black now—wrapped around Hide’s waist, lifting him into the air. “Or you could carry me to where ever you want man, no pressure.” Hide chuckled nervously as he came face to face with Ken…well….what looked like Ken. Whoever was in charge, clearly did not know him otherwise he wouldn’t be flying in the air.

“Ka-ne-ki! Come on man!” Hide cried as he was caught again—thankfully though, they were on the bridge—but this time he was hanging upside down. “You gotta let me down so we can talk!”

“Talk? No talking, talking makes everything worse…..what’s 1,000-7……9,993…” The half ghoul muttered as he clutched his head in pain while tightening his hold on Hide. Hide bit his lip in worry, if Kaneki started to remember his more violent times during his time with that bastard Jason…..well…..losing a limb or two wouldn’t be that bad.

“Hey….hey Kaneki…you’re not back there. Remember? You made it out.” Hide muttered, trying his best to mask the pain in his voice. He was sure Ken didn't mean to slowly squeeze the life out of him. “You make it out and you saw Touka-chan and Hinami-chan again remember? And then your sister! You met with Miko-chan and talked it out!”

“Miko-nee?” Ken muttered, lifting his head in recognition. Hide’s heart soared at the progress; it meant that Ken wasn’t that far gone!

 _Yes! We are getting somewhere!_ Hide couldn’t help but smile as he was slowly placed right side up and his restrains were slowly loosening, making it a lot easier to breath.

“Yeah! Remember how Miko-chan kept an eye on you and your band of ghoul friends after? Even lying to the CCG about her whereabouts?!” Hide continued as Ken continued to lower him to the ground. He eventually let go of Hide all together, but kept his Rinkaku very close to him, ready to snatch him in a second should he say the wrong things. Hopefully he knew his boyfriend better and he wouldn’t have a near life and death situation like in the sewers. “

C…C…G?”

 _And now I have to tread carefully here._ Hide gulped as he took a deep breath. _If I say anything to set him off, it’ll be harder to get him back._

“Yeah, but hey, don’t worry….they can’t get you or Miko-chan anymore….” Hide took baby steps towards his unstable boyfriend, reaching out to gently touch him. Just as his fingers were about to touch Ken’s cheek, the ground several feet away from them exploded. Hide covered his face as several chunks of concrete flew in his direction, but before any could land on him, he once again found himself in Ken’s hold and in the air once more.

“No! Stop!” Hide shouted from Ken’s hold as he spotted a single Kataphrakt standing off in the distance aiming a sniper at them. It had to be either Calm or Inko since Inaho’s was rendered useless and was at the moment, being currently used as shield/weapon between the three ghouls and three humans. Getting back to the situation on hand, Hide knew whoever was controlling the Kataphrakt probably had good intentions, but they had really, really, really, REALLY—did he mention really—bad timing. Hide winced as Ken’s face morphed into anger as he snarled at the Kataphrakt before launching himself—along with Hide—towards the orange Sleipnir.

“Don’t hurt HIDE!” Ken screeched as he landed on the Sleipnir, snarling as he began slashing at the high schooler. Hide could hear the screams—Inko was the one inside if the pitch screams had any indication—and if he didn’t do anything, the high schooler would be missing limbs.

“Kaneki! Kaneki! Stop! Stop it!” Hide shouted, punching Ken’s Kagune pathetically—it probably left like taps, when he was using all of his strength—trying to get the attention of his ghoul boyfriend. “Don’t do it bud! You’re going to regret it when you come back!” Something must have triggered his attention because Ken suddenly paused in mid strike and gave him a confused look.

_Yes! He’s coming back! Now if nothing else should interfere, then we should be—_

Sometimes, Hide wondered if he and Ken just had karma following them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and laugh hysterically whenever something went wrong for them. Because it was getting quite annoying and frustrating. Inko had taken Ken’s distraction as an opening for her to get some distance between her and Ken so she swung her still functioning Kataphrakt’s arm and threw the both of them a fair distance. It was also strong enough for Ken to release his hold on him, so Hide went rolling on the rough cement—destroying his perfectly good shirt—before he finally came to a halt several yards away from Inko and just a couple of feet away from his still boyfriend. Knowing he had very little time to act, Hide gritted his teeth as he pushed himself up and yelled as loudly as he could.

“HEY! DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME! JUST GET AS FAR AWAY FROM HERE AS YOU CAN! I CAN HANDLE THIS!”

“Hide-san! That’s insane! You’ll be killed!” Inko argued back through the speaker, her voice wavering in fear as Ken began to stir. “He’s a monster!”

“JUST GO!” Hide shouted as he limped his way back to Ken’s side, cringing as the half ghoul began to laugh—it actually sounded more like a mixture of laughter and crying—insanely. “YOU’LL GET KILLED!”

“M-mother—why mother? What’s 1000 minus 7? No….the strong eats…the strong eats!” Hide slowed his limping as Ken’s Kagune began to thrash wildly around him, creating mini craters. However that didn’t stop his determination. He was going to bring back his best friend….his other half….because

“Rabbits die of loneliness, ya know?” Hide chuckled softly to himself as he took a step towards the raging ghoul, ignoring Inko’s cries. Hide could hear his heart thumping loudly and frantically as each black Kagune swung by him, narrowly missing him by centimeters, but his feet thankfully kept going despite his instincts telling him to run the opposite direction.

“Hey….Kaneki….it’s ok,” Hide began, taking deep breaths as the half ghoul finally turned his attention to him. His blank look certainly didn’t help boost Hide’s confidence that he was making any progress “….Everything is fine. You’re….” Hide gulped once more as Ken began to take tentative steps towards him, sniffing the air as well.

 _The blood,_ Hide thought as he took a quick glance at his wounded arm and saw small droplets of blood dripping onto the cement. _He’s smelling the blood._ Slowly, he ripped a piece of his shirt off and carefully wrapped the wound, halting the bleeding enough to make sure the ghoul wouldn't go to crazy.

“Home….you’re home now Kaneki. We’re….home.” Hide finished, smiling brightly at the ghoul as he was now an arm’s distance away from his buddy. Something must have triggered inside of him because he suddenly became still as a statue once Hide finished his sentence.

“Home….?” Ken croaked as his mask began to crack before and his visible eye began to turn normal again. “Home……H-Hide?”

 _There he is._ Hide couldn’t help but smile softly, _He’s coming back_

“Yeah, it’s me, your ever loving sunshine.” Hide chuckled as he caressed Ken’s cheeks. “Welcome back bud.”Hide laughed lightly as the mask finally broke apart, revealing Ken’s beautiful silver and red eyes. For a moment, they stared into each others eyes before Ken gasped in shock and quickly covered his left eye in shame. If the situation wasn’t so serious, Hide would have laughed at the sense of déjà vu. Ken was still Ken after all.

“Hey, hey, none of that bud. I already know about that.” Hide calmly muttered as he carefully took Ken’s hands away from him eye and forced him to face him. Although, Ken still held his head down to avoid confrontation. “I already know that you’re a ghoul man….well half ghoul.” Hide chuckled sheepishly as Ken slowly lifted his head. “It dosen’t matter to me. You’re still my best friend…well boyfriend now.”

“….But…”

“No buts!” Hide interrupted as he placed a finger on Ken’s lips to silence him. “It doesn’t matter, now…..I’m just glad you’re back….Ken.” Hide smiled as he placed his own forehead against Ken’s, feeling the surprisingly soft locks of the ghoul’s white hair against his own forehead. Just like last time, Ken didn’t fight Hide as he enveloped him in a hug and sighed in content. Unlike last time though, they weren’t cut off from their moment by the harsh light from a helicopter and Miko’s shouting orders to them. No, they weren’t running for their lives this time, regretting not bringing Miko along with them….

 _No….this isn’t a time to think about back then._ Hide thought as he slowly pulled away from Ken. _Just keep moving forward._

“Hide….I….I didn’t mean to—”

_Ah, it looks like Ken was finally regaining his memories._

“Hey man, I know. You wouldn’t go all Centipede on us without a good reason. That Aldnoah Drive sure is something.” Hide chuckled before rubbing the back of his neck. “And I know this isn’t probably the best time but um…I’m pretty sure Hinami and Ayato could use your help in restraining Miko….” Hide finished softly, as the other half ghoul laughed loudly, almost masking the screams and shouts of the two younger ghouls and humans fighting for their lives. Ken sighed heavily as he placed his forehead against Hide’s once more.

“I’m sorry…..I’m sorry I couldn’t take care of her on my own….I didn’t want…”

 _Anyone to deal with Miko like ‘that’_ Hide knew those were the words Ken would have said next. And he couldn’t blame him. It was…..traumatizing to see the gentle half ghoul suddenly turn into a crazed Kakuja with no mercy. Those….monsters…..made her into that and it was difficult to even get her back to normal. The only way they managed last time was….

“The kids will need to someone to talk about this once it’s over.” Ken sighed as he pulled back and readied his Rinkaku. Two of them wrapped themselves around the remaining pillars on the bridge while he slowly walked back, creating a human sling shot aimed at the stationary Kataphrakt. “Especially the humans….”

“Yeah…I know.” Hide sighed as he stood off to the side, “It sucks that…..Miko….”

“She deserves more than this….she deserves happiness….” Ken whispered before letting himself go. Hide could only close his eyes as he heard Miko’s painful screams before it became silence; Ken had made his mark.

_I’m sorry Miko…..I’m sorry you have to go through this again. Please….forgive us._

 


	6. The Centipide and the Laughing Fox

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the rather late update. Not only did I hit writers block, school suddenly became hectic and ugh, work can be a real bitch sometimes. I hope this chapter is to your guys' liking. Reviews are welcomed and if you have any ideas or want something to happen, feel free to ask. I would like help with this story and I always find that having a person to talk to helps immensely. Thanks. :)

* * *

 

_**Rayet’s POV** _

_This is insanity._

Rayet thought, watching the boy—but was he even human—struggle against that fox looking monster. Even though he had a better advantage now that the princess—who was surprisingly still alive—transformed back and allowed that kid to use….whatever he called his weapon….he was holding the bigger monster back…barely.

_This….this shouldn’t even be happening!_

“Get that idiot out of the cockpit!” The indigo boy shouted, grunting as he blocked each blow from the crazed fox monster. “And get out of here!”

“And where would we go!”Rayet shouted—she was surprised how calm she sounded—before pointing around them. “We are surrounded by water!” Where if they fell in, they were good as dead.

“Better than here! Trust me!” The boy screamed as one of the sharpened claws makes a large gash on his side. But to her astonishment, he continued to fight back as if he never got injured and he even managed to push the monster back enough to have time to turn back and sneer at them. Rayet wouldn’t lie, even though she knew that the boy wouldn’t kill them right away—he had a point, if he wanted to, he could have killed them already or worse left them alone with the monster—it still frightened her how predatory his eyes looked. They truly made him look like a monster.

“And how are we supposed to even get that idiot out of there?! We don’t have anything can pry the cockpit open!” She argued back, surprising herself once more at her even voice.

“Ayato-san!” The disguised princess cried out again, pointing behind the teen. Coming right back at them, the fox creature launched itself at the unprepared teen, laughing insanely, as all of them realized there was no way Ayato could defend himself.

_And if Ayato looks terrifying with just his eyes….this….thing looked a million times worse._ Rayet thought, her body freezing at the sight of the insane smile the monster had. However, to everyone’s surprise, a pale yellow scaled tentacle wrapped around the monster and threw it off course before it could do any damage to Ayato.

“Thank goodness!” A familiar voice called out, snapping the red head out of her temporally frozen state. “I thought I was going to be too late.” Standing right next to them, was the brunette that had caught her spying on their meeting the day before. She may have looked innocent back then, but now that she was sporting black and red eyes, she looked just as terrifying as Ayato.

“I didn’t need you to fucking save me!” Ayato growled out, looking a bit flushed. “I had it!”

“Is Nao-kun ok? He didn’t get hurt from Onee-san’s attack did he?” Hinami asked ignoring Ayato which made him flush red in anger.

“HEY! DON’T IGNORE ME!”

“H-he’s trapped inside the cockpit.” The princess stuttered out, still as a statue as the fox monster growled in the distance. “A-and there’s nothing we can use to get him out.”

“We can probably force open the cockpit if one of us uses our Kagune.” Hinami muttered before turning to the indigo haired teen. “Keep Onee-san occupied while I free Nao-kun. Are you fine with that?” Ayato turned back and even though Rayet could only see his back, she could easily picture him smirking playfully, making her confused as to why she was glad that she could humanize him.

“Hell, I was going to take down that bitch down no matter what you said. I have a score to settle.” He growled before leaping into the air to engage several tentacles and managed to even cut some in half. “Is that all you can do bitch!?”

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, PAIN! PAIN! EVERYTHING IS PAINFUL!” The monster screeched, laughing as she continued to block Ayato’s blows. “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Nao-kun! I’m gonna get you out now!” Hinami cried as the tentacles from earlier slithered its way to the cockpit before gently prodding the machine. “Am I too close to you?”

“A little more to the right, Hinami. Otherwise, you might cause a collapse.” Inaho answered just as the tentacles moved to his instructions. “There. You should be able to use all your strength without causing too much damage.”

“W-wait! Too much?! I’m trying to get you out without any damage!” Hinami cried as her tentacles retreated. “You don’t understand, if I aim wrong, I can take off your limb like a knife through butter!”

_…..I really didn’t need that analogy…_ Rayet gulped as she slid closer to the princess and away from the pale and seemingly tentacles. _Especially with those two fighting not that far from us._

“I trust you to use enough force to open the cockpit and not sever any of my limbs.” Inaho answered, sounding calm despite knowing that a wrong move could lead to a missing limb. Just how the hell was he able to even remain calm?! “Besides we don’t have much time. Ayato’s going to crash into you—”

“MOVE!” Ayato shouted just as Hinami turned around and both of them crashed into the Kataphrakt, sending it off balance. Rayet would deny that she screamed louder than the princess as the two of them began to free fall into the ocean where they would be easy prey to the fox monstrosity. However, before the two were even ten feet from the water, a pale tentacle wrapped around her while a blue shadow snatched the princess up. For a moment, everything was a blur as she was swung around like a rag doll, barely avoiding the red haze that would come near her before she was pulled out of the way.

“Damn it!” Rayet heard Hinami cry out as she was splashed with a sort of liquid before she was found herself in mid air without the girl’s tentacle to keep her safe. Then, without warning, Rayet came face to face with the mismatch eyes of the fox monster. She couldn’t breathe as the creature gasped frantically, muttering words she couldn’t understand, crying uncontrollably and laughing at the same time. She was the epitome of insanity.

“M-mom! Mom! Oh it hurts! HURTS! DAD! DAD! DON’T GO! DON’T GO!”

_Mom? Dad? Who the hell gave birth to this monster?_ Rayet thought as she felt the heat from monster’s mask and tentacle surround her. _And why the hell is it even crying?! It’s a monster…it’s not supposed to act anything human at all!_

“The strong eats….eats….I DON’T WANNA EAT!” the creature screeched once more as it pulled back it’s claw, ready to slice her in half. She could imagine it, terrifyingly. The top part of her body would go flying in one direction, and she would see the other half go in another direction, spraying blood everywhere. She probably wouldn’t register the pain until she was drowning in the ocean and by then she would be choking on water. Probably a more painful death than her fathers.

“Ayato!”

“Over here bitch!” The indigo haired teen shouted as he slammed into the creature and snatched Rayet up before any of the tentacles could land on her. “Damn it! That bitch is a lot sturdier than I thought. I guess it pays to be an ex CCG investigator when you become a half ghoul.” He muttered as he landed on the sinking Kataphrakt where the two other girls were standing. In the distance, the fox creature gave out a shrill cry before it crashed into the ocean, spraying water over a large radius.

“Too bad that’s not going to keep her down long.” The indigo boy muttered as he let go of Rayet none to gently. He also didn’t look the least bit offended when she quickly backed away from him. She would prefer the princess’s company over his…and that was saying something. Speaking of the princess, she was paler than her white dress she wore minutes ago and shaking uncontrollably probably from the events moments ago. Hell….who wouldn’t be shaken up by this?

“W-will—”

“Nao-kun, is fine…” Hinami stuttered, looking just as pale as the human, as her tentacles began working furiously on the sinking Kataphrakt. “His heart is still beating after all….”

“Your…arm…” Rayet gulped as finally noticed the large gash going down her right arm—the blood had already made a small pool beneath it—where it hung limply. Even though the wound was slowly healing itself—how was that even possible—it looked rather painful. Had she gotten that when she was trying to protect her? Wait….was that what splattered—

Quickly, Rayet touched her face and very slowly pulled her hand back as it touched liquid before gasping lightly. Her hands were stained red from Hinami’s blood. However, before she could even let out a scream, a black piece of cloth flew in her vision and landed on her bloodied hand.

“Use it to clean your face.” The indigo teen muttered as Rayet looked away from her hand. “The longer blood is on you, the more likely it’ll stain.” Quickly, she rubbed the piece of cloth across her face, scrubbing her face a bit too harshly, eagerly wanting to get the blood off her face. She didn’t want a reminder of this….

“Blood?” Hinami gasped as she turned towards Rayet and looked away, ashamed. “S-sorry I couldn’t protect you….it seems that I’m still lacking in my ability to fight.” She muttered, her black and red eyes looking so remorseful that they could be mistaken for a human if it wasn’t for the strange coloring.

_But aren’t they sort of human?_ Rayet thought, thinking back to the meeting where she first talked to them. _They looked and acted like us….they even have mercy on us…unlike those martian bastards..._

“PAAIINN!!!!” Rayet couldn’t help but freeze at the screech coming from the ocean before laughter filled the air. Next to her, the princess clasped her hands over her ears and whispered furiously to herself while tears streamed down her face.

_But maybe….maybe that one was never human…._

“Damn….I don’t know how long we can keep this up….” Ayato growled as he harden his fiery ‘wings’ to become spikes. “Even though I’m sure I fucking landed hits on her, she continues on like nothing happened.”

“Like you said….Onee-san was part CCG investigator, she’s bound to have built up some pain tolerance….and her time during…..” Hinami muttered, before her eyes turned hard as she focused on the machine before her. “The best option seems to retreat and get Nao-kun, Rayet, and the princess safe. I’m almost done getting Nao-kun out.”

“Make sure you fucking use your Koukaku to protect your back. I can’t fucking keep saving your ass.” He smirked before jumping back towards the ocean to battle against the beast once more. This time, Rayet couldn’t tear her eyes away from the battle.

Despite knowing that their ‘weapons’ could easily slice through her, she couldn’t help but admire how graceful they fought. They twisted, turned, and flipped in the air with ease and grace—sometime using each other to stay in the air—barely missing each other. If it wasn’t a life and death situation, Rayet would have thought, they were performing an elaborate dance show for them. But when they did manage to land a blow on each other, it sent miniature shock waves into the ocean, reminding her that behind their grace, they were probably stronger than a Martian Kataphrakt. Reminding her, that they were not human…no matter how much they could look or act like them.

“Nao-kun!” Hinami cried, tearing Rayet away from the battle and saw the brunette girl tear the remaining piece of metal out of the way and reach inside. “Nao-kun! Stay awake!” As she pulled the dark brunette out of the cockpit, Rayet noticed that despite being inside, he wasn’t fully protected from the attacks. There were several cuts through his school uniform—they weren’t too bad from her view—and a small dribble of blood fell from his forehead. Not to mention, his pants were soaking wet, meaning— If they had gotten to him any later, he could have drowned in there.

“I’m fine Hinami…” The boy groaned as he used her to steady himself and used his free hand to carefully touch his head. “The Kataphrakt took most of the damage…”

“You’re going to see Yagarai sensei after his. That fall could have been more deadly than you think. And no, you’re not going to get out of it! You’re human Nao-kun! You’re a lot more fragile than I am!” Hinami scolded the boy as she set him next to the still whimpering princess.

“I want to go home, I want to go home.” The inhuman girl slowly reached out towards the princess, probably to console her, before retracting her hand and smiled sadly.

“I’m probably not the best person to comfort her at the moment….can one of you guys calm her down while I search for a way to—”

“SHIT HINAMI! WATCH OUT!” Ayato shouted, alerting all three of them that they weren’t out of danger just yet. Quickly, Hinami pushed all three of them together and stood in front of them just as a pair of petal like wings erupted from her back and joined her tentacles to block the fox creature. The princess screamed in terror and held onto Rayet as Hinami struggled to keep the beast back.

_This is it…_ Rayet thought as she saw Hinami gasp in pain as several of the fox’s tails slashed at her body and forced her back a couple of feet, _This is where Hinami gets cut up into pieces, where three of us join her and I’ll join my father_

“HINAMI NOW!” With a battle cry, Hinami pushed against the fox creature with what looked like all of her remaining strength and threw it back several yards. She collapsed onto the Kataphrakt giving the three of them a view that would haunt them forever. Coming from the bridge, a black and while bullet speed straight towards the unsuspecting creature. Then before it could register that there was another opponent, two red tentacles shot at her head, immediately halting her attack. For a moment, the creature floated in the air as if she was frozen in time before her mask and claws began to disintegrate. And once half of it was gone….then….the scream came.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” The creature….twitched violent as it fell forward, forcing the tentacles to leave the wound and revealed the true extent of the injury. Even though Rayet was terrified of the creature moments ago….seeing two gaping holes where its eyes should be…

“…..I’ll be good…..I’ll be good….” The creature whispered, sounding a lot more like Miko, as it landed on the edge of the Kataphrakt, remaining still. “I’ll be good…..please…no more….no more….please…”

“I’m sorry…..I’m so sorry Onee-san…” Hinami cried just as Ayato and the white haired man from earlier—but wasn’t he going insane just a couple minutes ago—landed right next to the whimpering figure as she curled up into a fetal position. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please….Please don’t hate us….please…”

“They….they just stabbed her eyes out….” The princess gasped, her face morphed into terror as the white haired man carefully picked up…the obviously broken monster and held her close to him. Even though he had lowered his head, Rayet could still see tears falling from his face. Was he sorry for injuring that….his…family member when she could have killed him without a second thought? “This…..this is all my fault….all my fault….I did this to her….I….I didn’t mean……” The princess continued to sob while Rayet finally began to feel light headed.

“Please…..no more….no more….I’ll be good…..I’ll be good.”

_This is all too much…..too much has happened….just what kind of world is this place? I just…what gives that thing the right to live while my father had to die? It’s unfair…so unfair…._ She welcomed the darkness that snuck in and she hoped that she would never have to wake up.

 

* * *

  _ **Miko’s POV** _

“Oh…finally found your way back here. And here I thought I wouldn’t be seeing you for a while.” A high teasing voice giggled in the darkness. However, despite being naked and tied down on an examination table, the voice brought the half ghoul comfort. She tried to move her body to face the bodyless voice but as expected, the straps on her body held her tight.

“Well….despite the horrible hospitality….it’s sadly the only place I can see you again….” The dark room suddenly lit up, revealing the hidden voice. Standing a couple of feet away was an average size American woman with long wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She wore very short jean shorts and a tight white jacket that was zipped up halfway to reveal part of her large breasts. “Trisha…”

“Well….that certainly didn’t turn out the way we wanted to….” The woman Trisha sighed as she took a couple of steps forward and leaned over her with a sad smile on her face. “How are you doing?”

“Besides feeling like shit and cold….terrible….I probably lost control and hurt someone.” Miko sighed, “I had no idea that the power of the Aldnoah Drive could affect us so badly.”

“Well, to be fair, back on our planet, we never came into contact with anything that powerful so of course we couldn’t even prepare for that.” The blond woman sighed before turning around. There was a couple of seconds of silence between them before Trisha spoke up once more in a more somber voice. “You know….I never wanted you to remember….I tried so hard to make you forget…”

“Always protecting me without me even realizing it…” Miko chuckled humorless as the creak of a door opening echoed in the room. “You really are too good to me…”

“No I’m not….I can’t even protect you now…” Her voice cracked as she turned around and tried her hardest to hold in her tears.

“It’s fine….I’ll be able to see you more often after this right?” Miko chuckled as her breathing sped up as memories finally started to come back. “And I won’t be tied to t-this table…”

“But….you’ll never go back to what—”

“Trish….it’s fine….” Another figure stood behind Trisha and Miko couldn’t help but squirm out of fear. “It’s fine….it’ll be fine….just….stay here please?”

“Of course….” Trisha muttered sadly as the person behind her went through her with a wicked grin on his face. “Of course…”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!”

* * *

  _ **Hinami’s POV** _

Hinami sighed heavily as most of the tension from the room left with the adults. Not a minute after they boarded, they were met with hostilities and it was only because of Yuki-san did they even consider letting them on board. It also didn’t help that Inaho was injured and Rayet had just recovered from her fainting spell, but thankfully, Inaho’s ability to think things more logically helped them out and gave the captain reason to give the adults chance to fight to stay on board.

The humans had already a lot to fear—they just barely made it out of the blast zone of a meteor bombardment—and seeing their fight….she could only hope that the adults could sway their thoughts. Not to mention, the adults gave her an important job to do while they were busy with negotiations. Which shouldn’t be too hard considering the princess wanted to have a word with them—her, Ayato, Inaho, and Rayet—in private. Of course that didn’t please the princess’s….sister, maid, she didn’t know….but with a shaky smile from the princess, the small girl reluctantly allowed them to follow them into an unused room.

“Like she could have done anything to stop us.” Hinami heard Ayato growled underneath her breath and she could only sigh heavily. Even though he would deny it, Ayato had no people skill whatsoever. Once the door was securely locked, the princess looked at her, Ayato and Inaho with a smile.

_How can she still smile at us when she saw us at our worst…well Onee-san’s worst. She knows just how dangerous we are and yet she almost acts like nothing happened…._

“I have to thank you three for today. You saved my life….”

“Inaho Kaizuka”

“Hinami Fueguchi…and that’s Ayato Kirishima since he likely won’t tell you your name.” Hinami supplied, ignoring the death glare coming from the teen ghoul.

“Then a reintroduction is in order then.” Asseylum smiled shakily as she clasped her hands. “My name is—”

“Asseylum Vers Allusia, yeah we know bitch.” Ayato growled as he leaned against the wall of the room. “And I don’t think showing us your true form will do you any good. It can still affect all of us on the ship and I would very much like to have my own sister alive thank you very much. I still got to beat the shit out of her.” He huffed ignoring the sputtering from the smaller girl.

“How dare you! She is—”

“A princess yeah, but she not my fucking princess so I don’t have to fucking treat her anything special. Not to mention, I don’t view humans in the highest regards, Terran or Martian.” He snarled causing the princess and her smaller companion freeze in terror.

“Ayato! Can you at least be civil for a couple more minutes! Don’t be scaring them off!” Hinami hissed at Ayato who ignored her. “Ayato!”

“I-it’s alright.” Asseylum answered surprising the two ghouls. “I mean…I did cause you, Miko-san, Ayato-san, and Ken-san so much trouble. It’s reasonable for him to be angry with me. I hope we can put this past us and work together.” She muttered as she bowed her head, leaving the ghouls speechless. However, it didn’t last that long as Ayato roughly pushed the princess back. Hinami quickly tried to intervene but she found herself in a choke hold as the teen ghoul held each girl with one hand.

“Don’t!” Hinami choked out as she saw Inaho rush forward. “His punches will gravely hurt you. Not to mention, she’s the Martian princess, he won’t kill her in spite.” She gasped as she angrily glared at Ayato.

_Just what point does he want to make. Why does he have such hatred for this girl? I only hope he won’t do anything stupid_. The female ghoul thought as she continued to struggle against his hold.

“You think that pisses me off? The fuck that you make that bitch go batshit crazy and basically rendered the rest of us useless doesn’t piss me off as much as your fucking presence does.” He growled as he leaned in closer despite Hinami’s best efforts to keep him back.

“M-my presence—”

“You make me sick. You come to earth thinking you can make a war that was born on hatred end just because you’re royalty? Just because you happen to be the princess and only heir to the throne that people will listen just because you smile and wish happiness on them? You apologize for things that have nothing to do with you and I bet you’re the type of person who will fucking sacrifice yourself if it means no harms comes to others. You’re a disgusting person!”

“AYATO!” Hinami cried as she wrapped her legs around Ayato’s arm and with surprising strength, she pulled him away and both of them fell painfully on the floor. However, Hinami wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily. She flipped them around so that she now sat on top of him and held him down by his arms. “Enough.” She hissed as she released her Kakugan just as Ayato did.

“Tch. Like I care what happens to this bitch.” Ayato growled back as he threw Hinami off him and slowly got up, staring at the humans with more hostility. “Fuck this. I’m going outside.”

“Ayato!” Hinami cried as she recovered from the blow—just how weak was she compared to her family—before sighing heavily. “Of course this had to happen…” Looking up, she was surprised to see Inaho leaning over her with an outstretched hand.

“Hinami, are you—”

“I’m fine…” Hinami answered as she took Inaho’s hand and pulled herself up, giggling silently to herself as she almost took Inaho with her. Well, at least she was stronger than humans… if that even really matter.

“I’m….sorry about Ayato.” Hinami muttered before bowing to the still shaken princess. “He….he still has problems interacting properly with people.”

“Just what are you freaks!” The young girl squeaked as she huddled close to her princess, glaring angrily even though there were some tears threatening to fall. “Stay away from her highness!”

“Eddelrittuo!” The princess gasped, “You shouldn’t—”

“It’s fine, Aseylum-san…” Hinami sighed heavily once more before smiling sadly. “It’s not something we haven’t heard before. It’s a normal reaction.”

“But—”

“Please….just let it go. It’s going to do none of us good arguing about morality. Not to mention, we can’t exactly stay away from you.”

“Why not! You’re a hazard to her highness’s wellbeing.” The young girl whimpered as she held onto the princess even tighter.

“So are the Martians that are hunting you down am I right?” Inaho spoke up, surprising Hinami as he took a step to stand next to her. “You do realize that it was the Martains that planned the assassination correct?” From the corner of her eyes, Hinami could see Rayet tense up and with her superb hearing, it was easy to hear her heart rate speed up.

_Ah, so she was aware of her family’s role in the assassination._

“Then you know it’s vital that her highness’s true identity stay hidden! At least until she is safe back on Vers!” The small girl cried.

“But if the perpetrators were from mars, then how do you know that she’ll be safe back on home?” Hinami couldn’t help but retort before wincing at her sharp tone. Today just wasn’t her day. “Sorry, that came out harsher than I intended.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s…sadly the truth,” The princess sighed earning a gasp from the younger girl. “But, I’m sure that once my grandfather hears that I am alive and well, this war will cease immediately and we can begin the true investigation of the assassination and once again try to establish peace between our planets.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” Inaho asked this time, “At this stage, they’re already jamming our radio signals and they destroyed the internet along with everything else. Communication beyond a two mile radius is impossible. What we can do is get you to a facility where the Vers government can be contacted.”

“Then—”

“I’ll have to speak to my sister about contacting—”

“No!” Both Hinami and the small girl cried out, surprising the martain maid at her agreement. Even Inaho seemed surprised at her outburst. “We already established that she is being hunted by the Martains. There could be some among us, and once they hear that the princess is alive, they could try to finish off what the other assassins failed to do. We cannot allow any more people to know her identity.” Hinami reasoned as she regained herself from the outburst.

“So your family already knows?” Inaho asked, earning a gasp from the princess and smaller girl.Sometimes it scared her how perspective the boy was, even when she was really trying her hardest to keep a secret. It must have been her wording that let him connect the dots.

“We figured it out before our meeting with you guys at the school.” Hinami sighed heavily. “Hide-nii already had suspicions of her being a Martian and when you came onto the truck…the Aldnoah Drive inside you, well it triggered something inside of me and I instantly knew you were anything but terran.” HInami explained as she took a seat as the princess gave her a confused stare.

“Triggered?”

“It was different for all of us.” Hinami tried to explain. It was even difficult for her family to even understand it. “For me, the Aldnoah Drive felt....dangerous...and it took all my will power not to attack you right there and then. You scared me enough that I wanted to flee just in case i let my instincts take over. Something inside me scream....to get away  when i approached you the first time on the evacuation truck." She chuckled nervously. She almost missed the surprised look on the princess's face before it turned into reconition. However, she quickly shook her head.

_Huh....that was strange....does she know what the power of the Aldnoah Drive is capable?_

"I see...w-what about the others?" She asked, motioning the ghoul to continue.

"Well...Ayato mentioned that he felt more annoyed than anything, and to Onee-san, she felt compelled to listen to a voice she heard in her head which scared her. But when you released your full power….well it made us a lot weaker than what we were used to.” She chuckled sheepishly. “Since we don’t know exactly what it does to us, I can’t give you a full explanation. Sorry.”

“That’s alright…" The Martian princess whispered after a couple seconds of silence. "I’m once again sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you. I never intended to bring you harm….” She muttered sadly as she bowed, probably remembering the incident with Miko.

“You never encountered creatures like us, so obviously you never knew what kind of effects the Aldnoah Drive could cause us.” Hinami shook her head. “Don’t blame yourself.”

“But—”

“I think the others will be wondering where we are now.” Hinami interrupted the princess. She still had to finish her other mission and this would be a golden opportunity. Not to mention she would have to report about the princess's reaction. Maybe Hide would have some ideas.

“We should get going. Rayet-chan, wanna come with me to get some lunch? I’m sure you’re starved!” She smiled as she quickly grabbed onto the redhead’s hand, and pulled her out of the room despite her startled cry. “Meet us there when you guys finish talking then! Oh!” Stopping briefly, Hinami turned around and gave them a sad knowing stare. “Seeing Onee-san’s transformation….and then her near death….you should talk to someone about it. Hide-nii can especially help you with that....” Hinami then turned around and continued her original path, pulling along the Martian girl. Thankfully, they were a good distance away from the others when Rayet began talking.

“Hey! What they hell! Let go of—”

“I still have some questions to ask you….daughter assassin.” Hinami muttered, tightening her hold as she heard the young girl gasp in shock as she tried to pull away.

“Wha—” Hinami quickly interrupted her.

“At first I thought you were some martian that was stranded on Earth after the war, but then I smelt your father on you.”

“M-my father?” She gasped, “Wait, when did you—”

“He ate breakfast at Onee-san’s café of that morning. I didn’t think anything of his odd scent since I never met many foreigners, but then I met him at the parade and I heard his conversation about the assassination.” Hinami told Rayet as she continued to pull the martian girl along the corridor. “It seems that if I had stopped your father, not only could I have prevented the war, but also the death of your father…” Hinami muttered sadly.

_Because I was weak…….So many people suffered….I have to….I have to get stronger._

“Why tell me!” Rayet growled as she pulled away from Hinami’s grip as she had unknowingly loosened her grip. “Why tell me about—”

“If I had stopped your father, I could have prevented the assassination, the death of your father, and preserved Onee-san’s sanity a little longer. But because I was weak, I couldn’t. So…” She turned around and glared angrily at the red head. “I refuse to be weak again. I don’t know if you plan to continue with your father’s plan, but if you do anything to harm the princess, I will stop you.”

“Wh—”

“But I’m not going to peg you as the enemy.” The ghoul quickly soften her glare and gave Rayet a small smile. “Even though you’re a martain…you’re not an enemy until you make yourself one.”

“How can you even say that!” Rayet shouted, glaring angrily at the ghoul. “How can you decide who the enemy is and who isn’t! It’s not your call! It doesn’t matter that you could have stopped my father. It wouldn’t change the fact that the Martians would have killed him! Saving the princess would have meant that he failed his mission and in order to protect themselves, my father’s killer would have written him off as a traitor and executed him just to save themselves. ALL MARTIANS ARE THE ENEMY, WE HAVE TO KILL THEM!” She screamed, panting heavily after her rant. Hinami couldn’t help but stare in shock at the amount of anger Rayet had towards the Martian race in general. While she was also slightly surprised that the red head didn’t blame her for preventing her father’s death—which she clearly could have prevented—she did have a point. The Martians would have cleaned up loose ends and would have branded Rayet and her family as traitors and killed them for a peace offering. Nothing would have changed. She would still have lost a father, but she would have been killed alongside him.

_But….how can she hate Martians if she is one herself? Does that mean she hates herself as well? But….rather…isn’t she’s part Martain and Terran since she lived here for about her life despite having Martian blood?_

“Then should I kill you because you’re technically a martian by blood?” Hinami asked, revealing her Kakugan and silencing the red head immediately. She didn’t like to intimidate people especially with her Kakugan, but it certainly helped. “Relax. I won’t swoop that low to kill someone because of their race. It’s not right, no matter what. You should always judge a person based on their actions, not because of their race.” Hinami muttered as she closed her eyes and sighed heavily as she remembered the years before arriving to a more peaceful earth. So much death…so much prejudice…it sometimes was hard to believe that it wasn’t a nightmare.

“So what…you’re just going to keep an eye on me because I’m—”

“A potential enemy. I understand that you have a hatred for Martians, so you may act rashly based on your emotions. Also with all the trauma you’ve had in the past couple days, I think it would be safe to assume that you’re mentally unstable and could snap at any possible moment and do something that you would regret.” Hinami answered just as Rayet began to sputter.

“I do not have any mental—”

“Witnessing the death of your parent is traumatizing enough. I know.” She spoke softly immediately silencing the martian girl. Even though it would probably have helped Rayet to trust her a bit more, Hinami wasn’t ready to reveal the story behind her mother. Not just yet. To many things were on her mind and she didn’t want to add any more stress to herself. “A story for another time….” She smiled sadly at the red head who slowly nodded. The ghoul took it as a sign to continue with her list.

“And then there’s the incident with Onee-san.” Without even needing to use her superb ears, HInami could already tell that Rayet’s heart sped up a little just hearing about Miko. She was scared of her and she had every right to be. “What she transformed into was terrifying….but our method to control her was brutally cruel and I’m sure even you felt sorry for her.” Hinami whispered as she closed her eyes, trying to drown out the screams her sister screeched just half an hour ago.

“Like I care what happens to that….thing….” Rayet muttered as she looked away, “And I don’t need your pity! I’m perfectly fine. As long as we take down those damn Martians, I can rest easy knowing that my father was avenged.” With that, Rayet turned around and headed towards the cafeteria on her own.

“Well….that could have gone better…” Hinami sighed as she silently followed her, wondering just how she could start helping the girl.

_They gave me this mission because they believed in me…I can do this…I can keep an eye on her…I know I can…._

“Let’s just hope she won’t hate me too much.”

* * *

  _ **Dr. Yagarai POV** _

“You always did push yourself to the point where it wasn’t healthy.” The young doctor muttered to himself as he took another look at the only patient in the enclosed room. “I told you, you would worry others if you pushed yourself too much. You’re only human after all…” He took another look at Miko and his eyes couldn’t help but land on the bloodstained bandages covering her eyes. He would have to change the bandages soon and if what her brother said before was true…then maybe she wasn’t all that human.

_But…how did she even receive those wounds? Who would even consider giving someone a wound like that?_

“No…..I’m sorry…..Please….Amon…help……” Miko muttered painfully as she twitched in her sleep before calming down. Yagari sighed heavily as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. He heard her mention that name to him once before, but other than the small stories Miko provided, he knew nothing about Amon other than he was a crush and a co-worker of hers four years ago. Why he appeared in a nightmares of hers…he hated to even think about the possibilities.

“You seemed so happy when we had our talks, who knew you were suffering so much.” He sighed heavily as he took a seat. However, just as he was going to take a sip from his coffee, there was a small knock on his door. “Come in.”

“Dr…..Yagrari, was it?” A soft spoken voice asked as they opened the door. Yagarai turned around and was surprised to see the white haired male from earlier come in with a sheepish look. If he remembered correctly, this young man was Miko’s younger brother. They certainly looked alike with their snowy white hair and silver eyes. “I’m pretty sure that you already know that I’m Miko’s brother. Ken, Kaneki Ken.”

“I thought so.” He smiled softly before gesturing to an empty seat next to Miko. “I’m going to assume the meeting went well with the captain?” He asked, as he saw a small glimpse of brown hair just outside the door. It must be Marito or another officer accompanying him to make sure he didn’t do anything dangerous.

“As well as it could go.” Ken sighed heavily as he took a seat next to his unconscious sister and gently took her hand. “None of us are able to go anywhere without being accompanied by an officer. And all of us must offer our services when it comes to battle. Since we have the ability to fight the Kataphrakts on our own, she would prefer if we went ahead of her men to at least severely damage them to give her men a fighting chance.” The doctor had to frown at that. Basically they were being used as human shields for them; were they really alright with that? “It was better than subjecting ourselves to testing once we got back to your base.” He shrugged as if he read his mind and Yagarai couldn’t help but shiver at the thought of Miko going through the testing.

“How did you even convince them of the other alternative if you don’t mind me asking?” He asked as he took a sip of coffee. Humans that could fight the Martian Kataphrakts on their own and win…any military personal would do anything to find out how they could do such a thing and exploit it.

“Simple. I told her that we were the result of human experimentation and she stopped pushing for it.” He shrugged as Yagarai choked on his coffee. It took a couple of seconds for him to recover.

“You….you’re not serious are you?” He couldn’t help but ask as he took a look at Miko and then at Ken. Was it really possible…would someone really try to experiment on humans? What were they trying to do? Create a weapon to defeat the martains? Did anyone else know about them?

“Yes….for a good chunk of our lives we lived as humans…and then a sicko decided it would be fun to mess with our lives.” Ken growled as he wrapped his hand tighter around Miko’s. “We could no longer eat normal food, our senses were heightened as well as our physical abilities, we healed abnormally fast, and we were being hunted for something we had no control over.”

“People hunted you?” Yagarai couldn’t help but choke out as he felt a shiver go down his spine at the thought.

“It would take too long to explain, but in short there was an organization that hunted our kind….ghouls…and would stop at nothing to make sure we were wiped out from the face of the earth. Miko used to be part of that organization before….before she was chosen for the experiment and had to run from the people she used to call friends….” So….they weren’t created for the purpose of defeating Martians…otherwise we would have heard about this CCG organization. The doctor reasoned as he continued to hum in thought.

_And the way he’s wording it makes it sound like there were more of them and if so, I’m pretty sure the government wouldn’t be able to keep this hidden from the public. But why would they be hunted? Other than the ability to cause massive damage with their….tentacles, I highly doubt they would pose much threat to us._

“That…must have been hard.” Yagarai muttered as he took another look at Miko with sad eyes. Who knew behind her smiling face she suffered more than she let on. To have the people you once thought as friends suddenly hunt you down….to kill you…it would certainly leave mental scars on anyone.

“It was….especially since she couldn’t hurt them no matter what.” Ken mumbled as he lowered his head. “I should have remembered that when….I went against them…she….she held them off while Hide helped me escaped because I foolishly decided that I could take them on my own. And because of that….she became what you saw at the bridge…” Yagarai wanted to ask more questions, wanted to know how that confrontation made her the creature on the bridge. He also wanted to know if Amon had also been part of the organization that hunted Miko down. She would have had to choose between family and friends during that confrontation and if he knew Miko as well as he would liked, she would rather have herself hurt instead of hurting her family. Would that have been the reason she turned into a mindless monster? However, he knew he shouldn’t push it. They would tell their whole story when they were ready and….he would help them battle whatever demons they held in their hearts.

“I’m going to have to change her bandages on her eyes soon.” Dr. Yagarai muttered as he stood up to grab a fresh roll from his cabinet. “And then I’ll have to check on Yuki since her arm was injured. Will you be staying here with your sister for the remaining time?”

“Yeah….I have to apologize to her after all….” He muttered sadly which caused the doctor to pause.

“That wound on her eyes….” He spoke softly as he turned to face the whitette, “Who caused it?” For a while Ken said nothing, causing the doctor to fear for the worst and when he heard the whittete speak, he dropped the roll of bandages he took out.

“I did….”

* * *

  _ **Touka’s POV** _

The indigo haired ghoul couldn’t help but growl softly under her breath as Hinami’s….friends continued to look and forth at their table and ‘whisper’ amongst themselves. Sometimes, the indigo haired ghoul wished she wasn’t able to hear what people were trying to discreetly say.

“Do you really think we can trust them Inko?”

“Okisuke! They’re Hinami’s family and I’m sure Hinami could never be related anything dangerous!”

“But you saw what happened on the bridge! Hell I saw it too! What Miko-san turned into….it wasn’t human and it was bent on hell trying to kill the Chez chick and Rayet. And you were nearly killed by her brother!”

“But….but you heard what they said….they don’t like killing people….Himani and that boy did try to protect them…”

“Tch. I’m still wondering why the hell Hinami has friends like that.” Touka growled as she forced herself to tune away from the conversation. “If you ask me, humans are nothing but trouble….” She saw a soldier sitting a table away from them stiffen considerably and Touka had to sigh heavily once more. It was really ridiculous. Did they honestly think that by following them around they could protect the rest of the ship from them? Ha! Even Yoriko knew that humans were no match for ghouls by themselves…but that was because she grew up in a world where she wasn’t on top of the food chain.

_Oh Yoriko…..I wonder how you’re doing? Are you still even alive? After everything? Do you still think of me as your friend?_

“Awww, do you mean me too?” Hide pouted, causing the ghoul to twitch in anger. She had nearly forgotten that she had another person sitting at her table. The one human she didn’t find that annoying…not that she would ever say it aloud.

“Especially you Blondie.” She snarled out as she took another sip of coffee from her thermal. At least Miko was right about one thing, her coffee—while pretty good—was nowhere near as great as Yoshimura…. It hurt to even think that the old ghoul was gone.

“Thinking about the past again?” Hide muttered causing Touka to glare at him. “You know….it’s not going to do you any good right?”

“Of course I know you dumbass!” She hissed, “I don’t need to hear it coming from you!”

“Ah there’s the Touka I remember.” Hide chuckled as he took a bit out of his sandwich—which Touka always wondered how it actually tasted—before smiling brightly. “But I can’t say that I don’t miss your sweet waitress—gah!” It took nearly all of her willpower not to let the blonde get the full blunt of her strength when she punched his arm.

“Shut up!” She hissed once more, “And stop complaining! I didn’t even hit you that hard!”

“Tch, should have hit him harder.” A new but sadly familiar voice grunted out as he took a seat next to her. “You’ve gotten soft on the humans. But then again, you were always weak so I guess it’s only natural that the weak surrounded itself with other weak people.”

“Finally done throwing a tantrum I see.” Touka huffed as she refused to look at her brother. “And don’t deny it. Hinami came in here about an hour ago telling me the shit you pulled. I’m not going to save your ass once Ken hears about it.”And boy could Ken get terrifying with his punishments. Sometimes, Ken acted more like an older brother to them than a friend.

“Like I need saving from a weakling like you.” He snarled, blushing heavily, as he slammed his fist on the table catching the attention of many people around them. “Just when the hell are we getting off this boat!”

“We should be arriving at the rendezvous point in about thirty minutes or less.” Ken’s soft voice surprised Touka enough that she choked on her coffee. She punched her brother as he snickered at her embarrassing moment. She would have punched Hide, as he also snickered at her, but he took the opportunity to plant a kiss on Ken’s lips before motioning the half ghoul to sit next to him. Touka didn’t miss the sour looks coming from the soldiers—especially the one that had escorted Ken—and couldn’t help but growl. Jackasses. Ken deserves all the happiness after all the shit he’s gone through. If they give him any shit about his relationship with Hide, I’m gonna have a word with that shitty ass captain. Wait…didn’t he say that he was going to visit Miko? Why is he here?

“So…not to sound like I don’t like having you here, but weren’t you going to stay with Miko-chan and check up on her?” Hide asked, voicing Touka’s question. The indigo ghoul immediately noticed that Ken tensed up from Hide’s question and immediately looked away from the blonde. “You….did check up on her right? You were gone for a good while.”

“I….I did check up on her.” Ken muttered, “She finally woke up.”

“That’s good isn’t it.” Touka added, “That means the wound—”

“She….she was beginning to remember her time with the Doves… she had to be sedated.” Ken interrupted silencing the entire table. Hide swore under his breath while Touka and Ayato looked down at the table. She also couldn’t help but growl in anger at the mention of their past enemies; it had taken all of them years to slowly heal from the horrors they brought on their small group. Miko’s experience though….it was probably the worst any of them had combined. She could still remember the screams of the once confident and strong CGC investigator and it terrified her that humans could do such things to their ally. When Hide had briefly explained that the crash had somehow made her forget about her….time, with those bastards, she was relieved. Not that she would ever say it aloud, but the Kanekis truly felt like an extended family and she always hated whenever her family got hurt. So now that she was…

“Dude….shouldn’t you be with her then?” Hide asked after a minute or so of silence. “I mean, if she wakes up and sees Dr. Yagarai, it won’t end—”

“He told me that the medication would last for at least three hours. So with our high metabolism, I calculated I had at least an hour before Miko-nee wakes up. I just wanted to check in with all of you before I went back.” Ken explained as he sighed heavily, while rubbing his forehead. “Hopefully we won’t arrive at the port before then. Otherwise, I’ll have to leave you in charge.” He said as he looked up at Touka. Once again she choked on her coffee.

“What? Why the hell me?!” She shouted as she stood up in anger as her brother laughed hysterically at her. Ignoring her brother and the attention for them people in the cafeteria, she continued. “I’m not exactly able to fight her back if she goes psycho!”

“I can’t let Hide do it since he would probably get hurt, I have to have a chat with Ayato, and Hinami deserves a break after everything that has happened today.” Ken explained as he ignore the pout coming from his boyfriend, “Not to mention, I have a feeling that you would be able to calm her down more than I could.” He smiled softly at her, causing a blush to form on her cheeks. She had forgotten how handsome he looked when he smiled.

_No bad Touka. He has a boyfriend now! No blushing at his goddamn smile. Focus!_

“Hey no flirting in my presence!” Hide whined immediately catching Ken’s attention and helped Touka fight back her blush. “You’re making your boyfriend sad!”

“Didn’t you flirt with Touka right in front of me before….that happened?” Ken chuckled as he tried to cover up his words. However, both Touka and Hide clearly knew what he was talking about. Back to the time when things were much simpler. However, Touka couldn’t help but smile at the embarrassed look Hide had on his face as he was caught red handed.

“H-hey! In my defense I wasn’t with you and I was doing that in hope of getting your attention. You were kinda oblivious to things.” Hide chuckled before he was cut off by a female voice coming from the speaker.

“Attention passengers. We are nearing our destination, however due to small amount of soldiers, I must ask that any available body help out with resupplying the ship during this time. Please head to the docking area where a military personal will give you orders. Also, will the Kaneki family please report to the control station. Thank you.” Touka gave a quick glance at Ken and couldn’t help but shudder at his blank stare. It looked like all of them would be away from Miko—

“Touka stay with my sister.” Ken ordered as he stood up as one of the military officials—the one that came in with Kaneki—calmly walked towards their table. “I’ll reason with the captain as to why you’re not with us.”

“But—”

“Lieutenant Marito am I correct?” Ken began as the man coming to pick them up finally reached them. “You saw how my sister reacted when she woke up from her injuries. One of us will stay with her during this time since I’m assuming you don’t want anyone getting hurt.” The man, Marito, frowned at Ken.

“And you’re going to stay with her after she screamed at—”

“No, my friend Touka will be looking after her. She is just as capable as I am when it comes to subduing Miko-nee.” Ken interrupted causing Touka to raise her visible eyebrow in suspicion. Was there a reason Miko had to be sedated other than seeing the doctor?

“Will that be a problem?”

“….I suppose not.” He muttered as he took a long look at her. Touka couldn’t help but glare angrily at the man’s oh so familiar stare.

_Untrusting, suspicious, cautious….just like every fucking human back home…._

“Tch. You owe me Ken.” Touka muttered under her breath, knowing that Ken could easily hear her.

You owe me an explanation.

“I know…”

* * *

  _ **Miko’s POV** _

She laid on the cold unforgiving table as the man from her nightmares finally left the room, his laughter echoing in her mind until it finally faded out of existence. Miko took the opportunity to curl up into a ball and gasped rapidly into her hands. Even though in the back of her mind she knew all the pain she just felt was from her memory, she could still feel all the cuts, burns, broken bones, and the sore limbs still regenerating from being decapitated as if she just had her session with Tokage-san. That bastard.

“Hey…hey….it’s over.” Trisha’s voice calmly whispered in her ear as warm arms wrapped around her bare scar littered chest. She could still remember the horrifying feeling when Tokage ripped open her chest cavity just to observe the half ghoul’s regeneration ability with corrosive acids. His laughter at her pain still caused her to shiver uncontrollably. “He’s gone….he….he won’t be able to touch you again—”

“But he’ll forever haunt me in my dreams.” Miko gasped as tears streamed down her face. “Why….why didn’t any of them stop him? I know they came to s-see—to s-see—why did they abandon me?!” She cried as she held on the imaginative ghoul tighter. “Amon! Didn’t he….was my….did he not….love me?” She whimpered as Trisha rubbed her back in comfort.

“I’m sorry you had to remember everything like this….I only wished you could slowly recall those events so it wouldn’t….”

“So it wouldn’t revert me back to a bubling mess huh…” The half ghoul whispered as she easily remembered looking at her reflection back during those….sessions….and she couldn’t help but whimper at the broken girl she saw. There was no way she could go back to the way she was before; her brother was a prime example. Just under two weeks at Aogiri and the kind hearted little brother she knew, turned into the silent, and semi-cold young adult he was today. And her? She was now the frighten little girl who couldn’t help but flinch at every contact and immediately distrusted any one she didn’t already know. How pathetic.

“You’re not pathetic.” Trisha whispered softly as if she read her mind, “You survived. And even though you may never fully heal from this, you’re still alive.” “But am I really?” Miko whispered as she closed her eyes in fright as she faintly heard the familiar screeching from the alarm. It seems that she would relive her family’s rescue as well…and if that was the case…

“I…I have to get…up.” The half ghoul muttered as she struggled out of her dead friend’s grip and immediately fell to the floor without the support of Trisha. “Ken….Hide….they…they need me.” She groaned as she pulled herself up from the table. Was it her imagination or did the metallic table turned into a soft bed? Not to mention, her dark torture room was slowly becoming bright and somewhat familiar. A hospital? No, they wouldn’t dare to even give her that luxury.

“Hey, are you sure about that?” Trisha asked, “That doesn’t sound like the alarm at Cochela—”

“Sorry Trish…”Miko chuckled humorlessly as her friend began to fade away. “But I’m gonna have to cut…the reunion short…”

“Just don’t use your Kagune.” Trisha’s voice echoed as her body slowly faded out of existence. “You took too much damage—” “Yeah…I figured I won’t be able to use my….ghoul….abilities in Cochela…” The half ghoul chuckled softly as she reached to the door handle and was mildly surprise at the lack of resistance. Maybe it was easier to get out of this room than she previously thought. If so….did that make her even weaker?

_No time to think about that._ The female hybrid thought as she shook her head.  _I_ _need to focus on saving my family._

“Then how do you plan on fighting?” The female ghoul whispered just as Miko unsteadily staggered across the hallway—looking both unfamiliar and familiar at the same time—until she came across a recognizable bag.

_She recalled herself placing a brown package into her backpack, the same one she just saw,—where it sat with others in a cooler—before stuffing several articles of clothing and a fox mask and quickly zipped it up. However, she also remembered the bag being slightly heavier than what it normally should have been…like if there was another item that she hid from everyone else._

“Don’t you remember Trish…” Miko muttered softly as she reached into the contents of the bag—going straight to the bottom of the cooler—before pulling out a miniature black and silver case. “Before I became Kitsune….I was a Dove….”

“Just be careful…” Trisha’s voice echoed softy as Miko slowly stood up and tightly held onto the small brief case as it slowly grew it size.

“I will….”

* * *

  _ **Touka’s POV** _

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” Touka angrily growled to herself as she ran through the hallways—ignoring the shouts coming from her human escort—as she tried to follow the scent of the recent escapee of the infirmary ward. Just for five minutes, she stepped out to see what the commotion was when she heard gunshots. Of course Miko had to escape during that time. “You better not do anything stupid, otherwise not only will I kill you, Ken will too!” She snarled before coming to a stop as she reached the area where their bags were being held and the dread inside the ghoul grew even larger.

_Oh no….the bag is opened and some of the packages are missing! Shit! Miko just what the hell are you doing!?_

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!” Touka shouted as she continued to run after Miko’s scent which—unsurprisingly—lead to the one corridor that exited the ship. However, what surprised her even more was the scent of the Martian Princess getting stronger along with Hinami’s and her human friends.

_What the hell are they doing here? Oh please don’t tell me that they’re going to try and stop Miko!_

“Touka-nee!” Hinami’s voice rang as she rounded a corner just in time to see her restraining the princess from exiting the ship and her human friends surrounding her. “What—I thought you were watching over Onee-san—”

“I was until she escaped from the infirmary!” She spat out, “Damn that bitch! Doesn’t she know she’s not even physically healed from her wounds earlier today! But what the hell are you six doing here? And what the hell is going on with the gun fire?”

“Another Martian Kataphrakt has just attacked the base.” The Ken sound alike answered, “A majority of the soldiers were killed trying to stop it and now it seems it has its sights set on this ship.”

“Then why aren’t we moving?” Touka growled. “I’ve been hearing that siren go off for a good while already! We should have left already!”

_And if we did, then maybe that idiot Miko wouldn’t have left the damn ship!_

“It seems that our ship suffered some damage when the Kataphrakt attacked the other one.” Hinami answered. “If nothing is done, then the people on board will die!”

“So what, you five think that because you battled one Kataphrakt and won, means you can take on another!” Touka hissed as she finally began to piece together the plan the teenagers were trying to instigate. “Don’t forget the reason your plan worked was because we helped! And don’t you dare say you’re fit to go Hinami!” Touka turned on the youngest ghoul, narrowing her eyes, “You just came from two battles without fully healing from any of them! You’re in no shape to even help them!”

“But—”

“We don’t need Hinami’s help on this one.” Mini-ken answered angering Touka even more when Hinami gave the little human bastard a surprised look. “I’m sure we can manage something on our own—” Just then an explosion rocked the ship sending the teens and ghouls flying backwards. It was only quick thinking on the ghouls’ part that none of the humans were hurt too badly. Hinami wrapped her Rinkaku around Mini-Ken and Bastard Human while grabbing a hold of the female human and the Martian Princess, leaving her with the blonde human to make sure nothing happened to him. It also didn’t escape Touka’s notice how the human bastard human immediately stiffen and shook in Hinami’s hold while she saved him. Ungrateful bastard.

“What the hell was that?” The blonde human in her arms groaned as they slowly stood up from the floor. “I didn’t think we would get back up from the other ships this fast….”

“That wasn’t from another ship….” Touka muttered as the smoke began to clear from the entrance, revealing what exactly caused the explosion, or rather who. “It was from Miko….” She whispered as she saw the dock—previously littered with shipment containers—cleared of any debris except for the Martian Kataphrakt and Miko. However, what shocked the ghoul even more, was the fact that Miko wasn’t even using her Rikaku, but rather…

“A quiqune!?” Hinami gasped as she released her friends and stared in shock as well. “But how does she even have one?! I thought it was destroyed in the crash!”

“I’m amazed it even held against that huge ass sword.” Touka muttered, eyeing the beam katana in the Kataphrakt’s metallic hand. Could it cut through anything? If that explosion was anything to go by, she had a feeling that it wasn’t all that powerful. But then again….the power these Martians had was unlike anything they had ever seen before.

“I thought Miko-san was still suffering from injuries?” The human girl muttered as she looked in awe at the half ghoul. “How is she still even moving?”

“She’s….not…” Touka muttered as her eyes grew wide as Miko’s figure suddenly fell to the floor. It looked like she didn’t even eat any of the packages in her bag—she probably didn’t even pack that much thinking she could starve herself more to save more meat for the rest of them—and if she just woke up…

“Hinami, get the others inside the ship now!” Touka shouted as she let go of the blonde and immediately raced towards Miko just as the Martain raised it’s katana. “Find Ayato! He’s probably the least injured out of all of us to fight this piece of shit!”

“But Touka-nee! Your Kagune—”

“Just do it!” Touka screamed once more, focusing all her strength into her legs as she dived straight into Miko, pushing her out of the way just as the Katana swung down.

_Shit, that thing is hot as fucking hell._ Touka thought as she looked back at the Kataphrakt, still feeling the heat of the beam sword. _I’m pretty sure that would have been hell to heal from._

“Tou…ka-chan?” Miko muttered tiredly, snatching the ghoul’s attention away from the Kataphrakt. Immediately the young adult growled at her as she grabbed onto Miko’s nearly tattered uniform.

“Just what the hell were you even thinking!?! You’re injured and fighting a fucking Kataphrat with just a quinque is suicide—”

“I’m glad….” She muttered softly as she closed her eyes, surprising the ghoul. “The doves….haven’t caught you yet….is Ken…Hide….safe? Arima….didn’t get them did they?” The ghoul opened and closed her mouth several times as she tried to find the words to speak to the obviously delusional hybrid.

_She thinks she’s in cochlea….probably the night where we busted her out…._ Touka thought, tightening her hold on the older half-ghoul. _Then that makes sense why she left….she must have heard the alarm and thought it was the same day where Ken and the others came to her rescue. She probably thought the Kataphrakt was some CGC weapon and being the dumbass she is, she tried to fight it thinking it was going after Ken and us. Looks like stupidity runs in the family._

“TOUKA-NEE!” Hinami’s voice cried out, snapping her out of her thought and she immediately cursed herself for completely ignoring the threat just several yards away. Touka quickly wrapped her arms around Miko and jumped out of the way just as the beam sword sliced the ground they were previously at seconds ago. The indigo haired ghoul couldn’t help but growl menacingly as she heard the martain chuckle inside his damn metal piece of shit.

“That human may have caught me off guard with that strange weapon of hers, but with her out of commission, I won’t have to worry about any more surprises.”She heard him calmly mutter as he raised his beam Katana and raced towards them once more.

_Shit!_ Touka cursed as she once again grabbed a hold of a now unconscious Miko and used all her strength to jump away. _Is this all I can even do? Dodge? No fighting back? Is this how it’s going to be for the rest of my life?_ Touka miserably thought as she once again jumped out of harms way, struggling to keep a tight grip on the lifeless half ghoul.

_Instead of protecting the ones I care about….will I be the one being taken care of? Do I want to sit back and let the people around me get hurt?_ Immediately flashbacks of Yoshimura, Yomo, Irimi, Koma, Nishiki, Ken, and even Miko flashed before her eyes. Yoshimura sacrificing himself to save her and Hinami from the Doves along with Irimi and Koma; Yomo fighting off another set of Doves while they infiltrated the CGC; Nishiki taking a blast meant for her, Ken stupidly taking on Arima as Hide pulled her and Hinami away to free Miko, and even fucking Miko standing in front of her to shield her from the investigator that used her father’s Kagune.

_Everyone’s protecting me….there’s nothing that I can do now….nothing…_ Touka growled in frustration as she once again jumped away from the Kataphrakt. However, she miscalculated her footing and the two of them rolled across the military base giving the Kataphrakt a lucky chance to strike at them. _No, I refuse to let people continue to get hurt for me! I protected them! It doesn’t fucking matter if I can’t produce a fully formed Ukaku, I’m the white rabbit! I won’t let anyone I care about get hurt again!_

“You shity bastard!” Touka shouted as she turned around and raced towards the Kataphrakt, surprising the Martian enough to halt his attack on the unconscious Miko. “Who the hell do you think you are, trying to hurt my friends!?” Using her superior speed, she managed to get behind the Martian and using all her strength, she placed a well aimed kick to the shoulder joint of the machine, sending its aim slightly to the right, just missing Miko’s body.

_Not enough strength!_ Touka growled to herself as she flipped herself in the air and continued her assault on the machine, kicking and punching anything she could touch before landing on the floor. _More! I have to do more damage!_ However, no matter how many punches she threw, while it dented the metal, it did nothing else, but annoy the pilot. And she was getting some very close calls with his Beam Katana. However, she wasn’t going to give up, not when Miko was still in danger along with Hinami and her friends.

However, either she was a lot more tired than she thought she was or her fighting senses she had honed when she was younger had dulled because the Martian managed to get into her blind spot and sent her flying with his free hand. She groaned in pain as she crashed into some of the remaining shipping containers, denting it half.

_Ok…that hurt like hell._ Touka hissed as she slowly pulled herself out of the metal container only to freeze as a bright light loomed over her.

“And now, it’s time to destroy you.” The Martian chuckled as he raised his beam sword higher and sung down. Touka could only stare in shock at the sudden turn of events—the irony of how the hunter turned into the hunted—before she narrowed her eyes in anger.

_No….this is not going to end for me like this! I’m not going to let this fucking asshole get the better of me!_

“Like hell you will!!” Touka screamed as she gathered her remaining strength into her barely functional Kagune. “You’re not gonna take me down that easily, you fucking bastard!” Just as the sword came crashing down, Touka grunted heavily as she took the brunt of the attack with her hardly functional Ukaku. Despite—and surprisingly—holding up against the huge katana, her Ukaku was still so small that she could feel her clothes burning off her back and she could feel blisters quickly forming as well.

“Oh? You’re still alive down there?” Touka heard the Martian comment before the weight on her back began to increase, causing her to cry out in pain as she was forced to kneel. “Let me help you with that.” If Touka could, she would be spewing out profanities and stabbing the asshole for even looking down at her. However, she did still want to live so she focused more on keeping her Ukaku intact and promised herself to beat the bastard later.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit!_ Touka panicked as she already felt her Ukaku crumbling away. _I’m not going to last that long under here! Shit! Shit! Shit! What do I do? What the fuck should I do—_ Then suddenly without any warning, the weight from her back disappeared and if it wasn’t for her quick reflex, she would have face planted on the floor in relief. Gasping for air, Touka managed to look up in front of her and was surprised to see two orange Kataphrakts standing protectively in front of her.

_What the…those brats saved me?_ Touka weakly thought as she pushed herself up. _Didn’t I tell them to leave? What are they still doing here?_

“Are you alright Touka-san?” Mini—Inaho’s voice echoed through the Kataphrakt as she turned to face the ghoul. “You didn’t get hurt did you?” Well, besides her burnt clothes and slowly healing back, there wasn’t really anything wounded expect maybe her pride.

“No…I’m fine.” She answered before glaring at them. “And what the hell! Didn’t I tell you brats to go back inside!? What the hell are you doing out here?”

“We simply couldn’t stand by and watch a family member of our friend get killed.” The boy answered as he turned back to face the Martian Kataphrakt and he had pushed away moments ago. “Not to mention, it isn’t fair to let you fight by yourself.”

“But—”

“Y-you should go and help Hinami.” The other male—the fucking bastard human if she remembered correctly—slightly stuttered as he took aim at the enemy Kataphrakt. “S-she’s getting Y-your—Miko-san out of danger. We got this.” Not that she would ever said it aloud, but the bastard human had a point. She was in no position to help out the humans, and Miko needed more attention at the moment since she was not only unconscious but delusional as well. Not the greatest combo ever. Taking one last glance at the human teens, Touka sighed heavily as began her jog towards where she last saw Miko.

“Fine, take down that bastard for me.” Touka answered, “And if you guys fucking die on my watch, I’m gonna fucking kill you shitheads for doing something stupid!”

“Don’t worry, Touka-san,” Inaho replied as he motioned his friend to go around the corner while he kept his gun still pointed at the Martian. “I have a plan.”

_A plan that better not get you fucking guys killed._ The ghoul thought sadly as tears of frustration ran down her cheeks. Once again, she was fleeing a fight that she had no hope of winning and was left wondering if her friends would come back alive at all. But they were humans….so why should she care?

_Because….they saved you…just like Yoriko did….and you never did repay her._

“God damn fucking humans….god damn them….” Touka couldn’t help but whisper angrily. “Next time….I will be the one save your asses. Just watch.”

 


	7. Into the Mind

 

_ **Okisuke’s POV** _

“Fine, take down that bastard for me.” Okisuke heard the gho--Touka shout out over his radio, “And if you guys fucking die on my watch, I’m gonna fucking kill you shitheads for doing something stupid!” He couldn’t help but gulp nervously at her threat because it was very possible for her to do something like that. 

_Calm down Okisuke! They’re not here to hurt you! They’re allies, Hinami’s family…they wouldn’t do anything to make her sad so killing us is a big no to them….right?_

“I really need to calm myself down.” He muttered to himself as he tried to stop his hands from trembling. “Otherwise…” As he looked up, he couldn’t help but gulp heavily at the sight of the Kataphrakt, the previous one briefly flashing before his eyes.

_Damn…it seems like I’m not completely scar free from my last encounter…_ He gritted his teeth as his heart rate began to rise as he remembered his near death experience and unfortunately the frightful sight of Hinami’s ghoul side. Thankfully he was pulled out of his memories with Inaho’s voice.

“—I have a plan.” Oh right, they had a plan, a very sketchy one, but it was better than nothing. He hoped that the other ghoul—the one that was a lot scarier than Hinami—wouldn’t put Inko in any danger and actually followed Inaho’s plan. He did look like he was angry that he wasn’t getting as much action.   
“Let’s go Okisuke.” Inaho’s voice echoed through the radio, “We need to give Inko and Ayato time to get into position.”

“R-right.” He gulped as he pushed down his feelings of uneasiness and followed his best friend to face the Kataphrakt. 

_This one doesn’t look that dangerous._ He thought as he ran towards one of the few shipping containers still existing to hide. _I mean, Hinami’s sister managed to hold him off…._ He let out a cry of surprise as a beam slashed through one of the containers forcing him to retreat back. He then gulped in fear as he saw how easily it cut through the metal. _And we’re going up against an invincible sword!_

“Okisuke, take cover over to the left. That should lure him to a better spot for Inko.” Inaho answered as he quickly covered him. To his astonishment, the rounds Inaho shot at merely exploded before they even reached the machine.

_And none of our rounds works! How the hell are we supposed to go up against these things!_ He thought as he quickly went behind the Martian also praying in the back of his mind that he wouldn’t notice him.

“So High explosive rounds don’t work….let’s see if armor piercing ones work instead.” Inaho muttered as he switched his ammo and began firing.

“Won’t he make them explode before they reach him?” Okisukue as he quickly switched over; if there was anything he knew about his friend, whenever he made a new decision, it usually ended up in their favor. And to his astonishment, the bullet did graze the Martian Kataphrakt.

“Without explosives, he can’t make them dentate in the air.” Inaho explained before he grunted. “But due to the intensive heat coming from the sword, it’ll probably melt the tips off and throw off the trajectory….”

“So what we’re pretty much doing is useless?” Okisuke gulped as he slowly peered over one of the containers, the back of the Martian in sight. Would this plan even work? A pincer attack would work if that sword couldn’t slice them in half like a hot knife through butter. 

_Damn, when did I get this negative? I used to crack jokes during serious topics._ Okisuke thought as he shook his head. He had to be ready, otherwise Inaho’s life could be at risk. Then as Inaho went to replace his rounds, the Martian made his move, surprising Okisuke as he feared for his friend’s life. 

“INAHO!” He shouted through his microphone as he watched helplessly as the Martian ran towards his classmate with his sword drawn. Thankfully, Inaho saw the attack coming and swiftly dodged the attack before firing an explosive round at the Kataphrat.   
“Damn it I can’t get a clear shot!” Okisuke cried as he tried to locate the Kataphrakt through the smoke. “Inaho are you ok?”

“I’m fine…” Inaho calmly muttered, “Although, if Inko doesn’t hurry up, I may be in a bit of a bind.”

“Why is—what the hell are you even thinking!?” Okisuke shouted as the smoke finally evaporated and revealed the two of them. Clearly the Martian had the upper hand as Inaho grabbed onto his hand to stop the sword from connecting to his own Sleipnir. And what was worse, he couldn’t get a clean hit without hitting Inaho.

“Just a bit more to the right…” Inaho muttered just as he lowered his leg to support his Sleipnir from the weight of the sword causing Okisuke to pull his hair in frustration. He had no room to the right!

“Inaho I can’t—” Just then a large shipping container slammed against the Kataphrakt, sending him flying—along with Inaho Sleipnir’s arm….wait was there red spikes on that container as well?  
“Are you ok?” Okisuke asked as he rushed to his friend’s side, quickly aiming his gun at the unfortunately still standing Kataphrakt. Even though there was noticeable damage done to its side, he didn’t think it would hinder the Martian’s ability to slice them in half. And with Inaho missing an arm on his Sleipnir, he was basically defenseless. 

“I’m ok.” Inaho answered, “But I’m not sure if the Martian will be…”

“Why do you even care—”

“WHO THE FUCK DO YOU FUCKING THINK YOU ARE TRYING TO KILL MY SISTER!” Okisuke heard the more violent ghoul scream aloud and Okisuke—mentally slapping himself for not noticing —saw his figure standing on top of the Martian’s Kataphrakt with his signature fiery wings—Ukaku if he remembered the term correctly—growling menacingly at him. “I’M THE ONLY ONE WHO’S GONNA KILL HER!”

“S-should we be worried for the um…sibling?” Okisuke gulped now realizing what Inaho meant. Having a cannibalistic monster pissed off at you was something even he wouldn’t wish on the Martians. 

“I’m sure Hinami can handle him.”

_Why do I doubt you?_ Okisuke thought just as the ghoul teenager attacked.

* * *

_ **Ayato’s POV (Five minutes before)** _

“Will you stop struggling!” Ayato hissed at the human girl in his arms. “We’ll both fall at this rate and you’ll know who’ll survive the damn fucking fall!”

“Well sorry!” The human girl, Inko, cried as she struggled in his grip even more. “But my skirt’s lifting up!”

“You having fucking tights on, no one’s going to see your fucking underwear!” He hissed back as he tried to regain his balance. Why was he climbing up to one of these shipping container cranes again? With a human girl in his arms no less? Oh right cuz he was under fucking strict orders from stupid Ken to “obey” the humans. Sheesh, one rant and he’s the one getting punished.

_At least he’s not breaking your bones…_ He shivered at the memory causing the skirt Inko was wearing to rise a bit higher. Maybe it wasn’t that great of an idea to carry her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes with her ass near his face.

“PERVERT!” She screeched as she went to adjust her skirt once more.

“S-shut up bitch!” He shouted back, glad that she could not see the small blush on his face. Just because he was a ghoul, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t have hormones of a growing human teenager. It was just nature.

_But she doesn’t have to know that._

“Quit your yapping we’re fucking here already.” He snapped as he finally reached the controls of the crane and dumped Inko into the driver seat while he stood up on top of vehicle. While they were a good ways up—probably about ten stories or higher—he didn’t even feel the slightest bit nervous. He had jumped from higher towers on missions for Aogiri and he was less experienced than he was now. It actually felt calming; being this high up without being seen like a god certainly made him feel more powerful than the stupid machine the humans were having trouble with. 

As he looked down, he saw the two other humans engaging the Martian Kataphrakt while his sister reluctantly ran towards Miko and Hinami—the later trying to wake up the half ghoul up. He narrowed his eyes at the Martian and couldn’t help but let out a growl. How dare a fucking human even try to lay a finger on his sister, he would kill the fucker for even thinking that she was insignificant. Even though she was less powerful than the rest of them, she could easily end his life if it wasn’t for that damn Aldnoah powered Kataphrakt. 

“A-atayo-san,” The human girl squeaked out, pulling Ayato back into reality as he faced the girl. “Um…should you be standing there? I don’t want to move the crane and have you fall off…”

_And it still seems that she thinks I’m a normal human._ Ayato scoffed in his head. _When will she realize that I’m different?_

_But do you want—_

_Shut the fuck up._ He growled as his more….human…part of him tried to reason with him. He crushed that part of himself when he joined Aogiri. He had to….in order….

“Tch, why don’t you focus more on your part of the mission while I work on mine?” He snarled at her before grabbing a hold of the cable and jumped down to connect it to one of the shipping containers. 

“Someone has to care….” He barely heard the gi—Inko mutter, likely to herself.

_I certainly don’t deserve that…not after all I did…._

“Fucking bitch. She should fucking worry about herself more.” Ayato muttered to himself as he connected the large cable to a fortunately already prepped container. Making sure that it was secured, Ayato released his Ukaku and fired one Kagune projectile in the air to signal Inko. Within seconds, the containers slowly began to rise and Ayato grabbed onto the cable as Inko began to rotate the crate.

“Hopefully that bitch can aim and actually hit him.” Ayato muttered to himself as the crate began to gain momentum and height. “If not…” He released a predatory grin as the crate was finally aligned with that mother fucker. He let his Ukaku grow larger as his blood boiled at the thrill of a fresh kill. “I’ll go for the kill.”

* * *

“WHO THE FUCK DO YOU FUCKING THINK YOU ARE TRYING TO KILL MY SISTER!” Ayato screamed as he landed on top of the Martian’s Kataphrakt with his Ukaku flaring wildly behind him. “I’M THE ONLY ONE WHO’S GONNA KILL HER!”

He wasn’t going to lie, he was actually surprised that Inko actually calculated correctly and managed to send the damn Martian flying. However, it didn’t surprise him that it didn’t do much damage which made him glad; he was finally going to do things his way. And the frightened look the Martain gave him through his cockpit made it more worthwhile.

_Scum, worthless. Humans were weak and didn’t deserve to live…..especially the ones who didn’t give two shits about killing other living beings…._

_Like yourself?_ He growled as harden his Ukaku into a spear. Damn that stupid voice. _Don’t deny it…you’re just like them…a cold blooded killer who deserves to di—_

“SHUT UP!” He shouted as he slammed his Ukaku towards the Kataphrakt, eager to get rid of the voice in his head. Killing people always helped, so the faster he killed this human, the faster he could get rid of the voice. However, he had to give the Martian some credit. Most humans would have stayed petrified when they came face to face with a ghoul—or in his case something unknown—but the Martian human managed to pull himself out of his state and moved the damn Kataphrakt. Ayato only managed to scratch the exterior of the cockpit before he found himself blocking a blow of the beam sword.

_Shit is that thing hot as hell!_ Ayato thought as he quickly pushed away the sword just as his shirt burned off, leaving ugly and painful blisters that were slowly healing. _I should probably stick to mid range attacks if I can’t get a clear shot of him without that fucking sword in the way._

“IS THAT ALL YOU GOT YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE? I CAN DODGE THIS IN MY SLEEP!” He yelled at the fucking Martian bastard as he dodged the sword of his having a lot more close calls than he would have liked. “EVEN MY GRANDMA COULD—” Just then, several explosions went off cutting off Ayato in mid sentence. Even though the Martian Bastard got the full blunt of the attack, one managed to land just a couple feet away from him. For a moment, Ayato could hear nothing but ringing as the explosion blasted his eardrums and sent him flying a several feet away from the Martian.

_Fuck! That hurt more than I thought!_ Ayato sluggishly thought as he struggled to regain his senses. It wasn’t easy, the blast could—well actually would have—killed a normal human being. If he hadn’t been burnt by that sword earlier, he wouldn’t be struggling to even stand up. And why the hell did it hurt to move his fucking legs?

_Oh fuck._ Ayato thought as he looked back and half of his left leg was gone and his right leg had his bone sticking out of the flesh. _That’s going to take a lot longer to heal…_ Just then another barrage of explosions surrounded him and the Martian, sending Ayato flying into the air once more in pain. 

“GAHHHHHHH!!” He screamed as the heat from the explosion, plus the large shrapnel ripping through his already weakened body, scorched his still sensitive and healing skin. 

_Fucking humans…_ He thought as his vision began to darken as he landed on the floor once more. This time, he knew he wasn’t going to get up anytime soon. _Knew we couldn’t….trust….them…._ It must have been his imagination because there was no way that his sister was standing in front of him right, behind a Kataphrakt, blocking any more explosions. It…..it shouldn’t be happening…..

_Because a cold blooded killer like you deserves all this pain. All this suffering before you die._

_Shut up….I’m not gonna die….I’m just……gonna…..close….my eyes….and…..hope……I…..don’t see……mom….and….dad….that’s all…._

_Because they would be so disappointed at what I’ve become._

* * *

_ **Touka’s POV** _

“AYATO!” The female ghoul screamed just as the barrage of bullets showered both him and the Martian. If she wasn’t carrying a semi-conscious Miko, she would have ran towards her brother and pulled him out of there. However, their priority was getting Miko to a secure location so that she wouldn’t get a chance to even turn into a kaijuka again. But the faint smell of blood was tempting her to forget Ken’s order.

“Touka-nee! Ayato-kun will be fine!” Hinami tried to reason with her, but even Touka could hear the worry in her voice. “He has survived through worse—”

“I know that!” Touka snapped to the young ghoul, before wincing at her harsh tone. She knew it wasn’t right of her to lash out at the ghoul, but she couldn’t control her anger at the moment. Her brother—while he was a dick several years ago; actually he still is—was her only blood family left. She had promised their father to look after him and she wasn’t about to break that promise again. Even though he easily could hold his own against her and Doves, she still worried that one day, instead of his annoyed glare, she would come face to face with an emotionless expression.

“Hinami!” a new voice cried out, snapping Touka’s attention away from Ayato just for a moment. Looking behind them, she was surprised to see the blonde human running towards them, looking….

_Concerned? But why? He should be more worried about his life than anything. If something were to hit him, he wouldn’t even survive._ It seemed even Hinami was having similar thoughts and nearly lost her hold on Miko as she turned to face the human. 

“C-calm-kun! What are you doing out here!? Get back inside where it’s safe!” She cried over the sirens coming from the other ship. Surprisingly, Calm grabbed one of Miko’s arm and gave a nervous smile to both of them. 

“Well, I can’t leave two beautiful ladies out in the open like this.” He chuckled, “What kind of gentleman would I be?”

“An idiot!” Touka growled, ignoring the ache in her heart. “A human has no right to—” Just then several more explosions landed near the Martian and her brother and she couldn’t help but freeze as she heard her brother scream in agony. 

“GAHHHHHHH!!” 

“Touka-nee!/H-hey! Come back!” The ghoul heard the brunette ghoul and human cry out as she unceremoniously dropped the unconscious half ghoul and ran towards her brother. Nothing else mattered to Touka except for the well being for her brother; Ken’s orders be damned!

_Please! Let him be ok, let him be ok, let him be ok!_ Touka chanted in her head as she charged into the smoke blindly. While it did hinder her ability to look around properly in the smoke, it thankfully provided her cover from the Martian as she searched for any signs of her brother. After nearly a minute of searching—and some close calls from the Martian Kataphrakt—she couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of brother. Just like her, a majority of his clothing had been burnt off, most likely due to the close proximity of the beam katana, and the skin surrounding the burnt clothes were still red and tender, meaning that he hadn’t fully healed when the humans shot explosives at him.

As she looked further down, her fear turned into anger as she saw her brother missing half of his left leg and a large piece of bone was sticking out from the other leg. To her relief, they were both healing—albeit slowly and if they didn’t act fast enough, they would have to re-break his right leg to make sure it healed properly. Nothing life threatening, but it would certainly be a bitch to heal though.

“How dare they…” Touka growled as she smoke began to clear, revealing both her and her brother not only to the Martian but the humans firing at them. It took the Martian a second to notice them, but before he could even lift his sword, Touka snapped her head up towards the Martian and glared at him with her Kakugan blazing. “How dare you….HURT MY BROTHER!!!” She screamed as she released her Ukaku, ignoring the sheering pain as she forced her small Kagune to shoot projectiles at the Martian.

She knew it wouldn’t do any damage—her brother who was in better shape than her couldn’t get a decent hit in—but in that moment all she felt was anger. They had come to this world, unwillingly yes, and used this opportunity to look for a better life, to use this chance to start over, to forget the nightmares that plagued their memories. Why couldn’t they get a break from tragedy?

“Fuck!” She cried as the fatigue finally caught up to her and forced her to retreat her Ukaku. She fell to the floor panting heavily as the Martian gave them a glance over. However, to her surprise, instead of attacking them, the Martian simply turned the opposite direction and ran off. 

_What the hell? Why the fuck did he run off? It was the perfect time to finish us off….unless?_ As she looked into the distance, her eyes widen in fear as she saw the guns on the ship, as well as the Kataphrakts, aiming their weapons at them.

_They’re still going to shoot at us even when there’s no Martian?! No! Ayato can’t take another hit!_

“STOP!” She shouted as she painfully stood up, with her arms out wide to shield her brother. “STOP!” However, they never lowered their weapons and Touka prepared herself for the worst as seconds ticked by. But to her astonishment, Inaho’s Sleipnir landed right in front of her, effectively shielding both her and her brother.

“Inaho! What are you doing!?” Touka heard the blonde human cry out, fear evident for his friend. And to her surprise as well, she felt fear for him as he basically acted like a human shield. “You’re going to get killed!”

“They didn’t look like they were going to lower their weapons, so I forced them too.” Inaho replied as he calmly turned around to face the two ghouls behind him. “Are you two alright?”

Touka couldn’t believe her eyes; how could a human….a teenage human no less, give two shits about a ghoul’s life? Why did he risk getting shot at just to save a couple of monsters, monsters that were going to get used in this war so that they could try to live in relative peace if they won? He shouldn’t even give a damn about them, yet, there he was, doing the best he could to help them in any way possible.

_He….he should….he should stop doing that….bad things happen to humans to try to help us…._ Touka thought as she lowered her head at the memories of Kimi, Yoroko, and the two Kaneki siblings. _I….I don’t want to be responsible for these humans’ sadness….they already have enough on their plate…_

“—OUKA! TOUKA!” Ken’s voice echoed loudly in her ears, forcing her out of her thoughts. Looking up, she saw a worried looking Ken sighing softly before muttering, “Thank goodness.”

“Ken?”

“Sorry I couldn’t get here earlier. I was arguing with the other captain on the boat about not firing at the two of you.” He whispered softly, “I’m sorry I couldn’t convince them sooner.”

“Wait….Ayato,” Touka’s eyes widen again as she remembered the state of her brother. “Ayato, he’s—”

“We already given him a couple packages of meat to help with the healing process and made sure to realign his right leg for it to heal properly, we don’t want to break it again. But he’s awake, barely, but wake.” He smiled softly at her earning a sigh of relief from her. “However, re-growing his missing leg is going to take a lot out of him and….”

_Dent our supply more than half probably_. Touka finished Ken’s unsaid sentence to herself. While she should have been worried that their meal plan would have to change drastically, another look at her semi unconscious brother being held up by Hinami made her feel better. 

“Thank you for interfering Inaho,” Ken spoke up to the damaged Sleipnir, giving a small rare smile to the human, surprising Touka even further. Just who was this human anyway to have earned Ken’s trust so easily? “I don’t think you’ll be congratulated by your superiors for your reckless action though.”

“Considering we managed to fend off the Martian until back up arrived should give us some favor with the Captain.” The hu—Inaho answered just as the other Sleipnir arrived. “Okisuke, I’m glad that you didn’t get caught in the cross fire.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better! You were almost killed!” The human shouted, worry evident in his voice. “What if you had gotten hurt! Or worse killed!?”

“I told you of the plan, everything was carefully planned out to work with the smallest amount of casualties.”

“Carefully planned my ass.” Touka muttered to herself as she heard her brother groan softly, most likely in agreement. 

“THAT WAS LIKE LAST MINUTE PLANNING! AND YOU TOOK THE BRUNT OF THE ATTACK!” 

“Either way, I think it’s best if we head in now. The captain will most likely want to speak with us, and not to mention we have to check in with Miko-nee.” Ken coughed, catching the attention of the two humans along with Touka. Now that she thought about it, where was the half ghoul? Better yet….

“Wait…who’s with her? If Hinami’s here….” Touka asked as she took another glance at her brother before whipping around to Ken. “You left her with Hide! What if she takes a bite out of him! Hell, he won’t be able to—”

“She kept asking for him,” The white haired ghoul answered, but Touka could easily see his tense shoulders. “And she did seem calmer when he talked to her. So for now Hide will be with her until we sort out everything and get Miko-nee a better…..guard.”

“Well, didn’t this turn out just fine.” Touka sighed heavily as she leaned into Ken and let him hold her. She was tired and she wanted nothing more than to take a well deserve shower, eat a package of meat, and drink a cup of Ken’s coffee. As she closed her eyes, she heard Ken chuckle softly before picking her up bridal style. 

“Rest Touka. You did amazing today.” It didn’t take her more than a couple of seconds to do just that; giving the world a small smile. After all, for once they didn’t have a battle where it ended in death for their family. 

* * *

 

_ **Hide’s POV** _

“Sup doc.” Hide smiled tightly as he struggled to keep Miko upright as they entered the infirmary once again. Even though Miko wasn’t completely unconscious, she wasn’t exactly awake enough to walk on her own and contrary to what people think, he wasn’t that strong. Just because he worked at the CCG for nearly a year did not mean he was a field investigator where he fought against ghouls. If he did, then he probably wouldn’t have survived long enough to see Ken or Miko. He probably would have made more trips to the hospital with his luck. Speaking of hospitals…“I have brought back our runaway patient again!” The dyed blonde cried happily as he waved weakly to the only doctor available in the room.

“Hide, Miko!” The doctor cried in surprise before sighing heavily at the sight of said hybrid ghoul. And Hide couldn’t blame him. While she wasn’t in horrible condition—that was reserved for Ayato—she was a bit worse than she had left the infirmary. Parts of her hair had been burnt along with her clothes and the skin under her burnt clothes was bright pink. And if you looked close enough, there was a slight bump on the back of her head. “I heard how she supposed held off the Martian for a while before your friend Touka stepped in, but I didn’t think it was actually true. How did she even—”

“A…amon….he’s….not here right?” Miko wearily asked as she gave him a pleading look, a look all too familiar to him. Giving her another tight smile Hide nodded.

“He’s off on another mission in the 11th ward. Don’t worry, he won’t get caught in the cross fire.”

“Good….Akira….she—”

“With him so it shouldn’t be a problem either. Come one, Miko-chan. I got a nice bed for you to rest on, you look like you really need one.” Hide calmly said as he began pushing her to the bed. He could see out of the corner of his eyes, the doctor staring at him, wanting to ask questions, but at the moment, getting Miko back in bed was a priority.

“But the alarm—”

“Don’t you remember silly?” Hide laughed softly as he rubbed Miko’s head affectionately, frowning mentally as he saw the slight change in her hair color.  
White? But wasn’t it grey before? Did her memories change her that much?

“We already made it out. Ken and the others are just making sure no one followed us out. Don’t worry, they’ll be alright.” He smiled as Miko let out a shaky breath.

“Liar….but….thanks for everything Hide…..”

“No problem Miko-chan—”

“And Trisha…….says….hi.” Miko mumbled before completely closing her eyes, thankfully missing his frightened face.

_Trisha?! Why can she….that means she…….this is worse than I thought. Crap Ken needs to hear about this._

“It looks like Miko is out for the count…Hide-san…are you ok. You look pale.” Dr. Yagarai commented as he took notice of Hide’s feature. “Did you get hurt as well?”

“No…no, nothing like that.” Hide forced a chuckle out as he gave the doctor an eye smile. “I was just surprised how Miko was able to take on that Martian before help came that’s all.”Hide didn’t even have to open his eyes to tell that the doctor didn’t believe a word he said. Hell, he wouldn’t either, but it wasn’t his place to tell anyone about Miko’s background, not until they all agreed on what to reveal and what to keep hidden. Just then, the door to the infirmary opened once more, revealing three people, or rather ghouls.

“Ah, Yagarai sensei!” Hinami cried out in surprise as she helped Touka carry a heavily wounded—but not nearly as bad as he saw outside—Ayato to an empty bed next to Miko. “I didn’t know you were going to look over Onee-san.”

“Tch, I’m not sitting next to that psycho bitch.” Ayato grumbled before hissing in pain as his sister grabbed his ear and pulled. 

“Until you heal, you don’t have a choice in the matter. Now stop whining and lay down! Otherwise I I’ll make you eat normal food!” She hissed as she roughly pushed Ayato down onto the bed. 

“That would defeat the whole purpose of healing now wouldn’t it?” The young ghoul hissed back as he swung his legs—well one complete leg and half of another—onto the bed ignoring the gasp coming from the doctor. 

“Your leg—”

“We’re already on it. Don’t worry about it doc.” Hide smiled tightly as both Touka and Hinami tensed up. “Ghouls….well they heal incredibly fast. So don’t worry too much about Ayato here. Not to mention, he’s a bit of a brat so you’ll learn to ignore him.”

“Hey! Watch what you’re saying you fucker!” Ayato hissed at him before yelping as his sister flicked one of his wounds. “Fuck! What was that for!?”

“Language you asshole.” Touka hissed back causing Hinami to giggle at their interaction. However, she quickly remembered that they weren’t alone and she immediately erased the smile from her face. 

“Oi!” Marito’s voice echoed before his head popped through the door and he narrowed his eyes at Touka. “I still have to escort you two for the meeting with the Captain. Actually….” He focused his gaze on Hide before speaking up again. “You come too.”

_The meeting with the captain on the other ship huh…..It looks like we can’t exactly escape this. I hope you have an idea on what you want to let the people know on the ship._ Hide thought as he smiled brightly at the soldier. No sense on letting him know just how worried he was for his abnormal family. He gave the doctor one last look before grabbing the shoulders of the female ghouls and began ushering them out the door.

“Well, duty calls doc. Miko will probably stay passed out for another couple more hours. If she wakes up, call for us okay? Oh and Ayato,” He turned his attention back to the sulking ghoul, “Don’t do anything stupid. We’ll be back with your meal when the meeting’s over.”

“Tch. Like I give a damn…” He grumbled but said nothing else.

_Well at least he knows when things are serious_ Hide thought as they exited the infirmary and followed the soldier. _Ken…..how are you going to get us out of this mess now?_

* * *

 

_ **Yagarai’s POV** _

The doctor sighed heavily once more as he rechecked the ship’s stock of medication and bandages. Despite having several casualties from the Martian, many of them were healing in another infirmary with more specialized doctors since he was just a school one. Not to mention, some of them didn’t want to be in the proximity of the two ghouls—not that they knew they were ghouls—and opted to heal in the other infirmary. So he was just left watching the two until Miko woke up, Ayato decided to have a decent conversation, or when Hide-san would come back to keep an eye on them.

“You miscounted the bandages. There’s fifteen rolls, not fourteen.” The youngest patient muttered, causing the doctor to look from his note pad. As he recounted them, he did find that the young teenage…ghoul…was right and in his thoughts, he had miswrote the numbers. How was he even able to see his scribble from across the room that was less than an inch wide?

“Ah, thank you. You certainly have good eyesight.” He commented as he faced the scowling teen. Well, he could try to have a conversation with the bad tempered teen ghoul. It couldn’t be any worse than talking to Marito when he was drunk.

“Tch, of course I better eye sight than a puny human.” He growled out. “We are predators after all.” 

Never mind, Ayato is just as ill-tempered as Hide-san mentioned. However, Yagari remembered something that Miko had told him months into their first encounter which made him a bit puzzled. After all, weren’t they technically the same race? Species? 

_I kind of have bad eyesight. Usually if I’m working late into the night on my computer, I have to put on some glasses. It’s kind of embarrassing especially since if I don’t rest, it gives me the worst migraines that even Advil won’t work._

“But Miko said she has to wear glasses at times.” He muttered, “I even remember seeing her wearing them from time to time….”

“That’s expected. She has the worst eyesight out of all of us. Sure she can see better than you human shits, but after—”

“KEN!” Miko suddenly cried out as she sat up straight in bed, panting heavily as she clutched her shirt tightly, startling both him and Ayato. She quickly glanced around the room, sighing slightly as she saw Ayato, but once her eyes landed on him, she froze like statue, becoming paler by the second. Yagarai couldn’t help but freeze as well at the sight of the painfully frighten Miko. It was so strange seeing the woman who would pummel a man twice her size if he tried to escape from paying her coffee—although that could have been because she was three times stronger than him—becoming paler than a sheet of paper and shivering like a child who just witnessed their parent’s murder. 

“Mi-miko…it’s ok. You’re safe.” Yagari muttered softly as he took a couple of steps forward before stopping as Miko flinched at the movement. He gave a glance at the other ghoul, surely he could help, but to his surprise, Ayato just sat there eyes just as wide at the sudden event. “Do you remember—” for a second, recognition flashed in her eyes and she relaxed considerably.

“Ya-Yagarai…wha….” But just as fast as recognition came, it swiftly left and she tensed up once more. “N-no….NO! I’M NOT STAYING HERE! YOU CAN’T! KEN! HIDE! AMON!” She screamed as she quite literary jumped from her bed, trying to get away from him. Yagarai knew it was probably a stupid idea to go up against Miko—who could literally eat him—but he had to try something, otherwise she would end up hurting herself again. So without much thought, Yagarai dove after her and tackled her to the floor, ignoring the sharp pain as they painfully fell to the floor. He could hear the other ghoul shouting something, but it was effetely drowned out my Miko’s shaky gasps and cries.

“Miko! Calm down! It’s me! Yagarai! Your friend! You need to calm down!” He grunted as he tried to hold down Miko’s flaiing arms. 

“NO LET ME GO! I DON’T WANT TO GO BACK! DON’T MAKE ME GO BACK THERE!” She screeched loudly before elbowing him in the gut rather painfully.

_Now I understand just now powerful ghouls are._ Yagarai thought as he let go out of reflex to hold his stomach. _I think she may have cracked my ribs. If she really wanted to, I think she could have even fractured them._

“M-miko!” He gasped out as he looked up to see Miko scrabbling out the infirmary. Unsurprisingly, the guards that were stationed outside ended up in a similar position as him as she fought her way through them. “Miko!” Just he was about to chase out after her—damned his injuries—another voice stopped him.

“You shouldn’t bother her right now.” He snapped his head back at the injured ghoul and he was surprised at the anger he held at him right now.   
He doesn’t even feel anything for Miko.

_I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t care if she got hurt or worse, killed._

“She’s hallucinating—”

“What what are you going to accomplish if she can accidentally kill you by ripping out your heart in fright?”Ayato cut off the doctor making him pause in surprise. “Not only will she spiral even more out of control once she realizes she kills you, but she’ll have to be killed in order for the rest of us to be able to stay on the ship. And the only one able to even kill her would be her brother. Now do you want that for Miko and her family?” The teen ghoul growled out. Yagarai stayed silent as the siren blared out throughout the ship, informing everyone about Miko’s sudden escape. 

Even though he knew that what the ghoul said was true, he couldn’t help but look worryingly at the door where several soldiers ran by, shouting orders and carrying guns. He wanted to help but….

What could he do? He was no soldier… he was just a doctor who barely knew Miko. All he could do was heal bones and hope that his friends and students will come out unscathed. 

“I just hope Miko….”

“You’re not the only one, trust me.” Ayato muttered as he turned around and covered his head with a pillow—most likely to drown out the noise—and left the doctor with his thoughts. 

* * *

 

_ **Miko’s POV** _

_Run, run! Keep running and don’t look back!_ She thought as she stumbled through the corridors, trying her best to ignore the high screeching of the alarm. _Don’t go back to the doctor!_

_But that was Yagarai! He isn’t an enemy!_ A voice—that sounded a lot like her early days at the CCG—cried out, causing her to pause in confusion. A friend? That was a doctor? She couldn’t recall ever befriending a doctor; she hardly got injured enough to visit a doctor regularly. However, brief flashes of the two of them together quickly reminded her that yes, he was a friend. The brief memory was short lived as shouts from unidentified people pulled her out of her thoughts.  
As she looked back, she saw men wearing skin tight uniforms—when did the CCG change their uniform; it would be hard to look at Amon with a straight face if she saw him wearing that—running towards her before stopping several feet away and pointed their guns at her. Seeing the weapons, Miko froze as she eyed the deadly weapon—but they didn’t look like normal standardized CCG guns—before crying out in fright as one of them fired at her. 

_RUN! RUN! DON’T LET THEM TAKE YOU BACK! NOT TO ARIMA!_ Her minded screamed as she released her Rinkaku and slammed the soldiers away. Ignoring the part of her brain telling her to devour them and not let them underestimate her, Miko turned around and continued to run. She was determined not to kill unless she absolutely had no choice….but even then…

_Miko! It’s the only way! Kill me! Kill me before I kill you!_

_No! I can’t do that! I can’t! You’re my—_

_If you die then who’s going to look after Ken! Who’s going to make sure his ass isn’t taken in by the CCG!_

Miko shook her head to get rid of the memories as they flashed before her. Now wasn’t the time to get lost down memory lane, she had to escape—

“INAHO!” A shrill voice cried out as Miko looked back in front of her—when did she even advert her attention—and nearly crashed into a teenage brunette boy wearing a familiar set of school uniform. As she twisted around him, another memory flashed before her eyes.

_“Look Miko-nee! I have a high school uniform on! Isn’t it pretty!” Hinami laughed as she spun in front of her and Hide as they were cleaning up the Café._

_“Looks like we’re gonna have to watch out for boys chasing after Hinami-chan huh?” Hide laughed as Hinami blushed bright red._

_“I don’t know, maybe she already has the hots for a certain black haired boy? Hmm?” Miko teased the young ghoul as she blushed an even darker shade. “Or could it be the boy just a couple blocks away who comes over for dinner—”_

_“Onee-san!”_

“Inaho?” Miko whispered, her eyes wide as she took in Inaho’s slightly surprised face. The rest of his friends quickly came to his aid and froze at the sight of her. Especially Okisuke. “Wha—what’s going on? Why—”

_Why was she running? Why were they looking at her like that? Where was Ken? Where were the rest of her family? Did they survive the Martian attack?_

“There she is! She’s holding students hostage!” The soldiers that she was trying to outrun suddenly caught up to her forcing her brain back onto auto-pilot  
Danger.

_Get out! Soldiers. CCG will be mad for you escaping again. Run!_

“No! Stop—” The boy in front of her shouted as the soldiers raised their guns once more. She quickly pushed the children away—why were they even in a CCG building with no senior investigator with them—and braced herself for the pain. Strangely enough, she didn’t feel the piercing pain of the Kagune bullets. When she looked down, she was surprised to see normal bullets laying on the floor and the soldiers gasping in fear. Why were they chasing her with normal guns? Didn’t they know ghouls could only be harmed by Kagune infused weapons or quinques?

_Who cares! Just take the opportunity to run! RUN!_ Listening to her more mature—and slightly deadly—voice, Miko turned around and continued to run, ignoring the shouts coming from the children. 

_How funny, the only people to care about you are children. Children who don’t even know you._

_But they do! You know them!_ Her kinder voice cried back. _You know them! You can trust them!_

_Can we really? What if this is another CCG experiment? A hallucination we’re being forced into? We can’t take that risk!_ The deadly female voice snarled back. _We won’t go back!_

_But we’re safe! We don’t have to run anymore! Please trust me!_ Blocking out the conflicting voices in her head Miko continued to run, hoping that she could just find a place where she could get her thoughts together.

“Ken…..Ken….where are you. Please….just help me…” Miko cried as she turned another corner, egar to dull the pain in her head that was now growing due to her internal argument. “I don’t know what’s real and what’s not….”

* * *

_“Look! Look! I got free tickets to go to a beach resort this weekend!” Miko cried happily to her semi-partner and friend as they packed up for the night. Amon merely sighed at her enthusiasm. “I can bring one other person with me!”_

_“I’m sure your brother will be delighted to go.” He grunted as he picked up his suit case and turned off his computer. “You two haven’t hung out in a while correct?” To his surprise, Miko pouted._

_“I would, but Ken and Hide have a huge exam coming up and they’re studying like crazy. I asked Trisha to come too, but one of her workers had a family emergency and she has to fill in for him until he gets back….sooo….I was thinking—”_

_“The answer is no Miko.” Amon sighed already knowing what her question was. And he prepared himself for the tantrum._

_“But Kou-kun!” Amon twitched at the nickname Miko used when she was being unreasonably needy, “Come on! It’s beach resort tickets! How many investigators can say they got beach resort tickets during their time on active duty!” She pouted before poking him in the side. “I’m not going to let the tickets go to waste!”_

_Poke_

_“You can give them to someone else.”_

_Poke_

_“I already asked for the weekend off”_

_Poke_

_“Ask someone else” He grumbled, his eyebrow ticking at the annoying gesture before frowning when it suddenly stopped. When he looked down, he saw Miko’s sorrowful look._

_“You know I don’t know anyone else well enough to ask them to go to a resort with me….” Amon sighed to himself. Of course he had forgotten that despite Miko’s bubbly personality, she wasn’t really on a first name basis with anyone else besides him and even then, she used his last name._

_He could just go with her just this once. It wasn’t like he had any work he had to catch up on anyways. So with a heavy sigh, he patted her head and mumbled a barely audible ok to her before walking off._

_“Really! Thank you Amon! I’ll make sure you’ll have the best time of your life there!” She laughed happily as she waved him off. “Oh and you don’t need to ask for the days off! I already asked for you!”_

_“YOU WHAT!”_

“I already asked for the days off dummy….” Miko chuckled sadly to herself as she took in the view of the ocean before her and closed her eyes once more, listening to the calming noise of the waves. After running for what seemed forever, Miko somehow managed to find a door leading out of the maze—ship. She was on a ship. Miko had to remind herself that she was no longer at the Chocela prison, she was on a new planet, with a new war that was between humans instead of ghouls and humans. 

She actually had to thank the view of the ocean to clear up her muddy mind. With all her memories blurring together, she couldn’t tell what the past was, or what the present was. Her head was about to explode trying to organize the mess when she had stumbled across the door—actually more like she crashed into it—leading to the deck and was momentarily blinded by sun as it reflected off the ocean. She was pretty sure if anyone saw her; they would have laughed their ass off as the most feared half ghoul—and ex-CCG investigator—tripped over her feet as she tried to get her bearings. And after almost falling off the edge and jumping back in surprise at the cool breeze and the slight spray of the salty water on her face, she finally realized she was staring at the ocean. In an instant, she couldn’t help but remember one of the best memories she ever had with Amon, and it immediately calmed her down. After all, with the semi stoic and too serious investigator, it was hard to get that man to smile genuinely. 

_“Look! It’s the ocean! The ocean!” Miko cried out as she ran to the beach, laughing loudly as she spun around with her bag, nearly knocking over a man. “Opps sorry!”_

_“Miko! You’re an adult! Act like one!” Amon cried out, blushing madly as people began to whisper among themselves. Although, that wasn’t the only reason he was blushing, seeing that Miko was wearing a plain black bikini that showed a lot more skin than he was used to seeing on her—or on any women for that matter._

_“Hey! I haven’t been to the beach in like fifteen years, cut me some slack.” Miko pouted, before frowning at the CCG investigator. “Really. A white work shirt and jeans? Didn’t I tell you to wear swim trucks! You look so….weird.” The female investigator grumbled before marching up to him and glaring at his clothes before landing on the obvious silver suitcase he was carrying. “Not to mention….did you have to bring your quinque?”_

“We’re on vacation not work, Amon….” Miko chuckled as she opened her eyes once more and smiled sadly. Oh how she missed the old days where she was oblivious to the wrong in the world; both in the human and ghouls. If things had stayed the same….no…she shouldn’t dwell too much in the past….what was done was done. She just had to figure how to survive with the consequences. “You’re going to scare the civilians….”

“Amon….isn’t that your co-worker you had a crush on?” A new voice chuckled, startling the half ghoul as she twisted her body to view the newest threat. Before she could release her Rinkaku on the human, her eyes landed on a young woman—probably around her early twenties—with straight black hair and strangely a soft smile standing just a couple of feet away from her. She also wore a strange white mechanical, brace?....no exoskeleton, on her left arm over her uniform—white dress shirt with a black pencil skirt. As she studied the human—foolish human; if she came to face a ghoul without a weapon—she suddenly remembered the woman before her as Yuki, Yuki Kaizuka and immediately forced her body to relax. 

_Wait…that’s Yuki….the older sister of Inaho, I used to invite her and her brother over for dinner when she was too tired to cook._

“Yuki….” Miko hesitantly muttered as she leaned away from the Terrian soldier. She didn’t want to accidently hurt her in fright. “What….what’s happening—”  
What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with your brother or resting? Your broken arm still needs tending to even though you have an exoskeleton to help the healing process. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” The soldier chuckled nervously as she took a seat next to the half ghoul, being careful not to make any sudden movements. Like she knew just how unstable she was… “It’s just, after everything that has happened; it’s nice to see you smiling like that.”

“You mean….after I lost my mind…” Miko whispered softly as she pulled her legs up and hugged them. Now that her memories weren’t blurring together, she could clearly—well actually it’s just as foggy as the last time she remembered using it—remember her outburst and how she probably scared half of the crew plus the kids. Not to mention, now that she remembered her unpleasant time with the CCG after….after the incident with Aogiri, she would most likely revert back to her “white” self as Trisha once called it. Quiet, untrusting, and fucking frightened of everything and anyone she didn’t already know. And if her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her—if seeing Trisha standing behind Yuki with a peace sign was any sign—then she was mentally unstable as well since the dead ghoul only appeared when she was near death, starving, or having a mental breakdown. Or when she was meeting new people. 

“Sorry about that.” The half ghoul apologized softly as she curled in more. In the distance, Trisha merely chuckled at her.

“You’re not a turtle, curling in on yourself will not make you disappear.”

_Well, it helps!_ Miko thought back, holding back a frown as Trisha laughed in the distance.

“Hey, it’s not like you meant it.” Yuki laughed softly, completely ignorant of the silent conversation the two ghouls—well one dead ghoul and the other a half and mentally unwell ghoul—were having; waving her hand dismissingly, before giving her a concerned look. “How….how are you holding up?”

“Ah hah! There’s the million dollar question everyone probably had on their mind.” Trisha cried out, before smiling brightly. “Well what’s your answer? I’m dying to know as well. Ha. Dying. I’m hilarious.” She snorted. If Miko didn’t have company with her—and if she wasn’t reminded that she had nearly killed them about two days ago—she could have laughed at her dead friend’s humor. 

“I feel like shit, and…” Miko must have lingered on Trisha’s figure too long since Yuki turned around to see what she was looking at. Trisha took this as an opportunity to blow a raspberry at the human which Miko mentally scolded the blonde for.

_Trisha! Behave._

“Hey, I’m technically in your mind, so you have more control over me than I do of you.” Trisha shrugged as she smiled at the hybrid ghoul.

“I think I’m going insane….” The half ghoul chuckled humorlessly as she shook her head at both Yuki’s question and Trisha’s answer. After a couple of seconds of silence, Miko turned around to face Yuki, deciding to ask the question that was bugging her for a bit. After all, there had to be a reason she had physical company after everything that had happened. “Why….”

“Am I here?” Yuki finished, smiling softly as Miko nodded her head slowly. “Well, after you set off the alarm, Your brother was very worried about your wellbeing. He even tried to run after you, but the captain was very insistent that um….you…”

“Prove that I was harmless?” Miko guessed. Of course her brother would try to protect her, try to make her seem harmless. That would have been her several days ago, but now…. “The bruised soldiers and a sore Yagarai might say otherwise.” She sighed heavily as she curled in more on herself, ashamed of what she had done.

“Hey! That wasn’t your fault!” Both Yuki and the Trisha hallucination cried, only the hallucination moved from her spot and kneeled in front of Miko, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

“I um…kinda took control for a bit and went a little bit overboard.” The dead ghoul chuckled sheepishly, causing Miko scrunch her eyes in confusion. Didn’t Trisha say that she had control over the dead ghoul? So why did she say that she took control? Before Miko could ask the dead American ghoul what she meant, her image was distorted by Yuki leaning forward a bit.

“Only because I couldn’t control my memories…” Miko quickly muttered, covering up her confused faced before Yuki could ask more questions.

“Memories?” Yuki asked slowly. Miko bit the inside of her cheek before deciding to answer truthfully to the young soldier. She trusted the Terrain soldier enough to believe her …..hopefully….

“And if she decides not to believe and thinks you’re a freak?” Trisha suddenly growled as she glared angrily at the human before her, her eyes turning blood red and pitch black. “Maybe we should take her out before she puts you in any more pain.”

“I….I was having trouble remembering what part of my memory was in the past and….” Miko began, ignoring the predatory look in her friend’s eye.   
She’s just trying to protect you. She’s not like other ghouls. She would never harm an innocent. Only the ones that were trying to harm me, Ken, and Hide…..

“What was the present?” Yuki finished, earning an even smaller nod from the hybrid ghoul as the Trisha hallucination frowned at her answer before sighing softly.

“Well, it’s your call.” The dead ghoul smiled softly before taking several steps back and watched the scene with keen observation instead. “Let’s see if your intuition is right.”

“Y-yeah.” Miko shakily said as she ran an unsteady hand through her white locks. God, it shouldn’t be that hard to explain! “Um…it gets a bit…a bit unclear sometimes. And….my old memories…aren’t really smile worthy.”

“But you obviously remembered something nice with Amon just a couple minutes ago.” Yuki said, smiling brightly. “So not all of your memories from back then are bad.”

“Well, considering that…that the memory was….from several years before….the….the incident, of course it….it would be happier.” Miko chuckled as she closed her eyes and played the memory once more, grateful for the brief distraction.

“Was that the beach trip you almost told us about before….”

“Before I went quiet….” Miko guessed, remembering the many dinner stories she shared with the Kaizuka over the years. Normally she shared them with minor tweaks to make it sound normal, but there were some that she couldn’t finish due to her lack of memory or rather the pain that came with it whenever she remembered them. “Yeah….that was the only trip I ever went to the beach….and it ended up just like another day at work….” She chuckled softly as she remembered the rest of the memory.

_“Just because we’re on vacation doesn’t mean that there aren’t any ghouls here.” Amon chastised her. “Ghouls can come up anywhere and anytime. We have to be—”_

_“Of course I know.” Miko scoffed as she gave Amon a brief glimpse in her bag to reveal her own quinque case. “But since I don’t want to panic everybody I decided to I don’t know….disguised my quinque!” Miko felt a bit of pride swell up in her as Amon blushed in embarrassment._

_“I…”_

_“Don’t feel bad. Just a rookie mistake I know.” She smirked knowingly as Amon glared at her. “Well, don’t just stand there! Help me set up the umbrella and—”_

_“GHOUL!!!” Miko couldn’t help but groan in annoyance as people began running from the ghoul—it must have been on the verge of starvation if it attacked in broad daylight with one completely visible investigator—and Amon immediately whipped out his Quinque._

_“Of course we can’t have a normal vacation. Why did it even cross my mind?” She muttered to herself as she also took out her case before a smooth tentacle slammed into her sending her flying several feet away. Just as she landed, she heard the tear of cloth and when she looked down, the flimsy piece of bathing suit tore away, revealing her breasts. If there wasn’t a ghoul running rampant on the beach, she would have reacted like a normal women and hid herself until she could find a top. But alas, the world wasn’t fair._

_“Miko!” Amon cried in alarm before blushing heavily as Miko stood back up, one arm covering her chest, the other tightly griping her weapon in anger. For now, she just hoped that Amon wouldn’t think too badly of her and maybe give her a shirt._

_“You had to ruin a perfectly good vacation! Asshole!” She yelled as she charged at the crazed ghoul, blushing bright red as well as she ran past Amon. “Are you going to help me or what Amon!”_

_“I um, well um…”_

_“It’s not like I’m completely naked!” Miko shouted back before yelping as the ghoul nearly destroyed the remaining part of her bikini, “But I will be if you don’t get your ass moving and help me!”_

_“R-right!” Amon stuttered before charging into the fight as well before he was stopped by Miko as she landed next to him, blushing just as bright as he was._

_“M-miko—”_

_“A-actually, give me your shirt first!”_

_“Uh r-right—”He stuttered as he quickly removed his white shirt and didn’t complain as she tore it away from his hands._

_“And this detail never leaves the beach!” She growled as she quickly button up the white shirt, before quickly blocking a blow from the starving ghoul. “Never!”_

_“Understood.” He gulped before narrowing his eyes and focused on finishing the ghoul as fast as he could._

“He always had my back…Amon.” Miko sighed as she pushed away the memory; she didn’t want to remember his rare smile her gave her once the fight was over. Proud of her for acting quick and not letting her…situation…affect her. She gave him a gut punch for that. And his words, the words that gave her hope and also crushed her spirit later on when she needed him the most. “And I thought he would always but….I should have known….work would always…always be first for him….” 

“He had betrayed you when he had found out you were a half ghoul…correct?” Yuki muttered softly, causing Miko to freeze in surprise and shock. How had the Terrain soldier even know about that? “Before….before you set off the alarm. Your brother and his family had a meeting with the captain to um…” Yuki struggled with her words before sighing heavily, “discuss about your situation and she had demanded the truth out of them.”

* * *

 

**_Yuki’s POV Several minutes before Miko’s escape_ **

_“May I ask what this meeting is about Captain Marbaridge?” The younger Kaneki asked as he stood tall across the captain, narrowing his eyes at her. Even though the Terran soldier barely knew him for less than a day, she could already see the similarities he had with his sister. Stubbornness was the main trait and if he was anything like his sister then, standing up to a captain who did not tolerate disobedience or allowed any danger to befall on her crew would only lead to disaster. “I already gave you information about my family in exchange for our services.”_

_But we know that’s not the entire truth….Yuki thought as she held in a wince as the vice captain glared angrily at Ken for dodging the question. And that you’re hiding something else that’s potentially more dangerous than the Martians._

_“Yes, that would be the case for your present family members.” The captain answered as her eyes lingered on all of the ghouls—not Hide, Yuki had to remind herself, he was human—before landing back on Ken. “However, your sister—”_

_“Is not a threat ma’am.” Ken answered sharply, earning nods from the rest of the family—although it was slightly hesitant, Yuki noted. “She is going through a difficult time.”_

_“I have a report from Doctor Yagarai about her first wake up attempt.” The brunette continued, as if she barely gave a thought about Ken’s statement. “According to this, she was hallucinating and nearly overpowered you?” she asked, well rather stated, as she lifted an eyebrow at him. Even though he didn’t flinch or show any signs that he was affected by her statement, Yuki had a feeling he would have a difficult time explaining his sister’s behavior._

_“She…was not reliving a happy memory.” He merely stated, narrowing his eyes further as if to challenge the captain to ask further details._

_This won’t end well. Yuki thought as the captain merely raised her eyebrow once more._

_“Care to explain further?” Captain Marbaridge asked, sitting up straighter in her chair just as Ken stood taller._

_“That would be invading my sister’s privacy and—”_

_“Considering that all of you possess the ability to take out a Martian Kataphrakt on your own and I saw single handily just how powerful and unstable you and your sister can become, I believe I have the right to ask to make sure the people on my ship stay alive.” The captain interrupted, earning a scowl from Ken. “And right now, your sister is our main threat and if you cannot insure me that there is a foolproof plan to contain her, then she cannot be allowed to stay on this ship. And don’t tell me you’ll use your last attempt because I don’t consider it successful if she wakes up only to try and kill the person who had to subdued her in the first place.” She finished, earning worryingly looks from Hinami and her sister white—Touka-san. Before Ken could even utter a word, a cough interrupted him._

_“Um, Ken, I don’t think arguing with her is gonna do you or Miko-chan any good.” Hide spoke up, as he took a step forward, ignoring the pointed look from both captain and vice captain. “And not to mention, maybe they have some sort of therapist that can help her.”_

_Therapist? Yuki thought as her worry for her elder friend—and almost sister figure—increased. She never said that she needed a therapist before…._

_“I highly doubt a human therapist can even help Miko-nee.” Ken muttered but sighed nonetheless. “I suppose, we can’t avoid it this time.”_

_“Does it have to do with your um, human experimentation?” Yuki spoke up before covering her mouth in embarrassment. Before she could even apologize for her outburst, Ken merely nodded, smiling sadly._

_“Yes, you’re a sharp one, Yuki-san. I can see why Miko-nee, cared for you a lot.” The ghoul—half ghoul—muttered before taking in a deep breath. “You see….Miko-nee was never like this before. She was kind, carring, strong willed, and stubborn to a fault. But most of all….she never let anything bring her down.”_   
_Yes…that’s the Miko I knew for four years! Yuki thought, nodding in agreement with Ken before frowning._

_But why is he saying everything in past tense? Isn’t she still like that?_

_Apparently she wasn’t the only one who caught on the use of past tense. The captain frowned at Ken who surprisingly was looking away._

_“Was? Then what changed her, to what sounds like a normal human being, to the monster we saw at the bridge?”She pressed the brother for answers. After a couple of seconds, he gave in with a heavy sigh._

_“As I told you….we were the results of human experimentations. The thing is, the….species known as ghouls…my sister and I were forced to merge with were being hunted by an organization called the CCG that my sister worked for. She had….a friend that was wanted by the CCG, but my sister had no clue that she was part of their wanted list until she was kidnapped by the Ghoul’s own organization to combat the CCG. They called themselves the Aogiri.”_

_“Why did they kidnap her?” Marito finally spoke up, surprising Yuki as she had thought the man didn’t want to do much with Miko after the bridge incident. However, she could see a silver of worry in his eyes for Miko. “Did she have info they wanted?”_

_“She wasn’t that high up in the organization just yet.” Ken shook his head as his face became grim, “It turns out, Miko-nee’s friend was a high ranking officer of the Aogiri and her mission was to gain Intel of CCG headquarters out of my sister and kill her afterwards. But….she couldn’t and in retaliation, Aogiri kidnapped my sister before forcing her to fight Trisha…only allowing one of them to walk out alive.” Ken muttered sadly._

_“A fight to the death then….with her best friend. That certainly can cause some mental trauma, but I don’t see how that—”_

_“I’m not done with my story captain.” Ken growled out, before relaxing as Hide held his hand._

_“Very well, please finish, Kaneki-san.” Marbardige said as she nodded her head to the whitette. Taking a deep breath, Ken continued._

_“And Trisha didn’t get off scot free either….they starved her to the point of death before letting her lose on my sister…”_   
_Trisha….I heard that name before….Yuki thought as she remembered past conversations with the café owner. It was her best friend….dead if I remember correctly._

_“What does starving do to ghouls?” Marito asked, narrowing his eyes at him. “Get them pissed off? Because then you might have that with your other member, small and blue.”_

_“Ayato is not starving.” Touka-san growled out before shutting up as Ken gave her a look. “Sorry.”_

_“Please refrain from saying anything, they tend to sting more than anything Marito-san.” Ken growled at the officer who merely glared back. “But to answer his question, starving a ghoul makes them unable to think properly. All that’s on their mind is to find food. No matter what. That’s what makes them so dangerous.”_

_“I’m assuming Trisha could not recognize her friend in this state of mind, and went for the kill while your sister tried to reason with her despite already understanding this due to working for the CCG?” The captain concluded, earning a nod from Ken._

_“In the end, my sister had to strike the final blow to Trisha otherwise, it was either she would die and have Trisha suffer through the consequences of eating her friend or Miko-nee would kill her to save her from that pain and she have to live with it instead. But Trisha was just as stubborn to live and both struck each other in vital places. They both would have bleed out but at that moment the CCG arrived to save my sister. I don’t know the exact details after this, but what I do know is that they took the opportunity to use my sister to create a hybrid ghoul using the remains of Miko-nee’s friend’s remains.”_

_“When Miko-chan woke up and found out just what had happened, she was furious for them to even consider human experimentation without her consent and to use her best friend.” Hide continued with a sober face. “She tried to rebel, to go public with the information, but I had just started to work there and used me as blackmail to keep her quiet.”_

_“And it worked for a while before my sister decided to work with the ghouls she used to hunt. In exchange for their help, she helped them create false identities to pass CCG inspections and alerted them in advance of raids the CCG planned to do.” Ken sighed heavily once more as he took control of the story once more. “Alongside helping ghouls, Miko-nee continued to further investigate the CCG and found out that they weren’t as perfect as they pictured themselves to be. Apparently, they had been planning dangerous experimentations for quite some time. Their leading scientist, Doctor Kanou…” Ken growled angrily as his left eye briefly changed colors scaring everyone in the room with his predatory sound._

_What was that? Yuki thought as she shivered, as Hide once more squeezed his hand in comfort. It felt so….deadly, so inhuman…..is this the ability full ghouls have? Or is it worse?_

_“Apparently went a bit further than what the CCG wanted at the time and kicked him out of the program before he could actually complete his experiment. However, that didn’t stop him from his practices and all he had to do was wait for the perfect opportunity to create the species he wanted…”_

_“A hybrid of human and ghoul I presume.” The captain muttered earning a nod._

_“That unfortunate subject was me.” Ken growled out, earning a loud gasp from her and a sharp intake from Marito. “Fortunately, the CCG did not know that it was me who was created, but they did know that Kanou created one and did not stop him after finding out. In fact, Miko-nee found out that several higher and basically untouchable members were paying for this psycho’s experiments to continue.” He spat, snarling even louder._

_“Just as she gathered enough information to ruin the CCG’s reputation, the higher ups found out and leaked out to the organization that they had an undercover ghoul in their midst and that she was the reason why so many investigators died. Her co-workers that she once worked, laughed, practiced, and helped with turned on her and didn’t hesitate to place her in Chochela….where dangerous ghouls were held to gather information by cooperation or….by torture.”_

_“So they tortured her out of revenge!” Marito shouted, “What kind of messed up logic is that! Didn’t Miko try to reason with them!”_

_“She wasn’t given the chance.” Hide muttered sadly, “Other than me, no one believed her….not even her partners Amon or Akria….”_

_Amon….the guy she had a crush on….the one she told us always had her back! Yuki shouted in her mind. How could he do that to her! Didn’t he know how much she cared for him!_

_“It took me several months, practically half a year before I could shake off the CCG and get help from Ken and the rest of them to help rescue Miko-chan.” Hide continued. “I knew she wasn’t dead since she was the only successful half ghoul experimentation they had, but that didn’t mean she was living….and by the time we rescued her…..she became the monster you saw on the bridge.”_

_“According to Hide, she was forced to transform into that several times….but since we are only half ghouls, our minds cannot take it and it breaks apart our sanity time after time….” Ken spoke up, clenching his fist in anger. “She didn’t want to become like that! She was forced to by the people she had placed her trust into! Right now, she’s more likely to run than to fight anyone. She’s that scared and harmless. Miko-nee would never hurt anyone on purpose!” Just then the alarm screeched through the ship, forcing the ghouls to cover their ears in pain. The captain merely turned around and barked out orders._

_“What’s the situation!”_

_“The patient that you made soldiers guard at the infirmary has escaped!” One of the students called out as he pressed several buttons on his machine. “It seems only minor damage has been done to soldiers and doctor Yagari. Bruised bones and egos apparently.”_

_“Very well. Send several soldiers after her. Tell them their only job is to subdued her and bring her back to the infirmary if possible.” She ordered before a hand slammed against the metal wall, silencing her._

_“Didn’t you hear a word I said! She’s just scared! Sending soldiers after her will only agitate her and send her into another state of—”_

_“If she’s just as harmless as you say she is, then now is the time to prove it.” The captain snapped back. “If she’s brought back to the infirmary without harming my men badly, then I will consider helping your sister to recover. I will not deny that in her other state she is powerful, but without the proper control, then I cannot see her as an asset to us against the fight with the Martians. Having her unboard the way she is will only bring my men more danger they do not need to worry about. Consider this a test for your sister.”_

_“Who will help her?” Ken growled out grudgingly as he submitted to her rulling. “I doubt there are rescued therapists on board.”_

_“I don’t see why Dr. Yagarai cannot help. He’s her friend and is probably the only one willing to help her at the moment. Until then, you must stay here until your sister is subdued and brought back to the infirmary.”_

_“I’ll go help and look!” Yuki cried out as she bolted out of the meeting room, not waiting for the captain or anyone to stop her. After hearing everything that had happened to Miko, Yuki wanted nothing more than to help her in any way possible. None of this was her fault, she didn’t chose to become the creature everyone feared. She couldn’t…no she wouldn’t blame her transformation on her. She’d blame it on the people….no monsters….that held little regard to human life, Miko’s co-workers who betrayed her trust. She’d blame it on them. For now, she would be what Miko desperately needed at the moment. Because that’s probably all she could do._

_Hang in there Miko! I’m coming!_

* * *

 

_ **Back to the present, Miko’s POV** _

“And….your brother told us about your time at—”

“Chochela…..” Miko muttered as she wrapped her arms tighter around her legs and shut her eyes as she tried to ignore the phantom pains the name brought on her body. “So….you know….just….how broken I am now.” Miko choked out before chuckling sadly. “I hate this….I hate how that placed fucked…..me up. I know….I know that there are people who want…to help me get….better but—” Flashes of Ken’s Rinkaku stabbing her eye made her shiver in fright. She knew her brother would never intentionally harm her like that—it was probably the only way to subdue her after her transformation—but she still couldn’t help but feel frighten of her little brother because he COULD harm her. Was there anyone she could fully place her trust into now? The people she thought she could either stabbed her backed or died.

“I’m scared….I’m scared of getting hurt like that again. I’m terrified….of putting my trust into people….who can betray me, lie to me.” The half ghoul mumbled shakily as tears began to stream down her eyes. “The memories of back then….they’re affecting my judgment of….you guys. I know….I know from the bottom of my heart, that you won’t hurt me like they can, but….after everything I’ve gone through….I can’t help but feel apprehensive….and that makes me want to run…run far away from everyone and anyone….who can hurt me.” She cried as she curled into herself even further. “Soon….even my family will stop trying to help…the pathetic creature I’ve become…and leave me to suffer alone….where I can hurt no one but myself.”

What a pathetic creature she had become. Even Mado would have commented on her if he was alive during her hunt. Then without warning, warm arms wrapped around her shivering frame and the faint smell of motor oil and jasmine entered her nostrils stopping her from releasing her Rinkaku in self defense.

“I know….that there’s really nothing that I can say to make you feel any better since I never experienced what you are going through…” Yuki’s voice cracked as her arms wrapped around her even tighter, “But I do know that what you went through doesn’t make you any less of a person. You’re still the kind, caring, and strong willed café woman we knew for four years. You always helped anyone in need, and gave us so much advice and helped me take care of Nao-kun when times were getting tough…” The Terrian soldier choked, causing even more tears to fall from the hybrid ghoul’s eye. 

“So….please even though I’m just a human…..let me help you. I’ll be your shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, a person to hug, anything. Just….don’t run away. You’re my friend, my family and seeing you suffer like this….makes us all worried. So….please, don’t turn us away. We just want to make you feel less scared of the world.” Yuki cried as Miko sobbed loudly, turning her body around to fully hug the terrain soldier.

“I’m sorry……I’m sorry…..I’m sorry.” Miko cried, gripping onto the Terrain soldier even tighter, “Just……bear with me…..please…..”

“Always.” Yuki chuckled tearfully as she pulled the half ghoul out of the embrace to cup gently cup her face. “That’s what friends are for.” From the corner of her eye, Miko could see Trisha smiling fondly at Yuki before meeting her eyes. She mouthed several words causing even more tears to fall from Miko’s eyes but instead of frowning, a small sad smile found its way on her lips.

_Looks like you found new friend….make sure nothing happens to her….and I’ll make sure that when the time comes, you’ll be able to protect her and your family if you’re unable to just yet._

“Thank you Trisha….” Miko whispered as she closed her eyes—the whole emotional outburst had taken a lot more out of her than she had thought. Even though she was falling forward, she could rest at ease knowing that she had at least one human to trust besides Hide, someone who she could potentially trust as a friend. “At least…..”

_I can still trust you to protect my family for me…._

* * *

 

_ **Ken’s POV** _

“Hey…..are you going to come inside anytime soon?” Hide’s voice called out softly as he came up behind the half ghoul and took one of Kaneki’s hands to hold. “It’s getting a bit cold.”

“Well, I think you can handle as couple more minutes since you stood at the entrance for a good five minutes before calling out to me.” The hybrid ghoul chuckled as he gripped back Hide’s hand to silently thank him for the comfort. 

“Then let me use your body as a heating blanket.” Hide pouted as he wrapped his arms around Kaneki’s neck and leaning into his back. Kaneki couldn’t help but chuckle at his boyfriend’s antics. Trust Hide to make him feel better. And the breathing on his neck certainly—

_Ken, get your mind out of the gutter. It won’t do you any good to jump Hide right now….even though you haven’t seen him in four years…._

“As much as I would love for you to lose control and have your way with me,” Hide chuckled as Kaneki blushed a bright as he was caught red handed for his dirty thoughts. “I have to ask….are you really ok with the outcome of this?” Hide asked as he nodded towards Yuki’s and Miko’s form several floors below them.   
Kaneki had found the two of them talking several minutes after the alarm went off. He was actually surprised that it was Yuki that had the courage to even seek out his sister and even sit with her after hearing the story behind her unstable mind. He would have thought that it would have been Lt. Marito who would have found her seeing that he too chased after Yuki, saying the same thing she did. But it seemed he still hadn’t faced his own demons and couldn’t really help her out since it could trigger his own mental breakdown. He really hoped that Marito got his shit together before reaching out to Miko only to fail her when she would need him, he didn’t need her sister to feel betrayed again. Especially if what Hide said was true, Miko greatly cared for the traumatized soldier. 

“You’re making that serious sexy ‘I’m going to murder someone face’ again.” Hide sighed as his fingers wrapped around his to stop himself from cracking his fingers. “Did Yuki-chan really piss you off?”

“No….I was thinking of a different officer Miko knows.” Kaneki muttered, shooting a grateful glance at his boyfriend—he really needed to stop that habit of his—before raising a white eyebrow. “Sexy murder face? Is there a fetish that I don’t know about?” He couldn’t help, but smirk triumphantly as he caused his flirty boyfriend to blush. 

“Shut up….don’t try to change the topic on me mister!” Hide playfully growled. “Soo….does it really bother you that—”

“Miko now has someone else to lean on?” Kaneki finished for his boyfriend earning a small nod from the dyed blonde. “No….and yes….”

“Let me guess, you’re happy that Miko will finally get the proper medical help that she needed and having a good friend like Yuki-chan will make you less worry since there will be more people looking out for her.” Kaneki could only nod just as Lt. Marito finally made an appearance on the ship’s deck just as his sister passed out earning a small scowl from the half ghoul. 

“But…..it’s a bit….heartbreaking that I wasn’t the one to help her.” He sighed heavily as the two human soldiers helped an unconscious Miko up as gently as they could. At least they didn’t manhandled her like the men at Cochlea did. “I mean….we’ve been through so much….I’ve nearly always relied on her help when things were out of my control.”

“Except for that time when you found out that you—”

“I was terrified that she would turn me in or look at me as a freak.” Kaneki interrupted his boyfriend, eager to forget the one time he pushed his sister away. “I wasn’t the same Ken I am today….”

“I know that buddy….sorry for that.” Hide apologized softly as he took the half ghoul’s hand once more, telling him to continue. 

“It’s just….feels like we aren’t as close as we were before….” He muttered as he closed his eyes.

_Was this how you felt when you found out that when I turned into a half ghoul, I went to Anteiku for help? When I escaped from Jason’s torture; instead coming to you about it, I went to Hide? Were you glad that I could find help for these things, but disappointed that I didn’t trust you enough to share my troubles with you? That we were finally growing apart?_

“It was bound to happen one day…” Hide sighed as he hugged Kankei once more, “You two didn’t exactly have the best childhood. One of you had to take responsibility for the other and Miko took that role. She had always placed your needs before her own because there was no one else who could. Your Aunt was a bitch and I honestly doubt that she would even make a decent replacement.”

“It’s actually hilarious to even think her as anything motherly.” Ken snorted as Hide smirked.

“See!” Hide chuckled before turning somber. “Well….I doubt Miko really had a person for her to really rely on since she had to always be there for you….”  
“Especially after Trisha….and Amon…..” Kankei sighed heavily as he thought of Miko’s important people. Sometimes, it made him wonder if things had happened differently, would the two of them be here with them today? Or were they forever doomed to tragedy?

“Now….with everything that has happened, before Cochlea and after the Martian Kataphrakt….Miko will finally have time to look for another person she can fully rely on and hopefully, it won’t end in disaster….” Hide sighed as he leaned his head into Kaneki’s neck. “Everything will be fine…trust me Ken…I know them and I know they won’t hurt Miko like the others did…”

“That’s what you thought of Trisha and Amon and look what happened….” Kaneki whispered back as he couldn’t help but worry for the three of them. He didn’t want any more tragedies to happen, but with their reputation for bad luck….he shouldn’t except for everything to work out.

* * *

And another chapter done! Sorry for the delay. I didn't mean to let it get pushed aside for that long. I also apologize if there's any grammar mistakes, I don't have a beta (I would love one though!) and sometimes going over about twenty or so pages I tend to miss some things. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter though! Comments, critics and favorites are welcomed!

 

 

 

 

 


	8. In which the Author has no idea what to name this chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the late update (for those who actually waited for one) I made it extra longer so that it would slightly make up for the long absence. 
> 
> And oh my god! 1000 hits! You guys are amazing! ^^ of course that's probably nothing compared to other writers who have much better plots than me. It's just amazing that my story got that many hits xD hahaha sorry. Got a little side tracked. But yes, please enjoy this chapter that was not beta'ed and reviews and critics are welcomed!

 

 

**_ Hinami’s POV _ **

“Hey, Hinami-chan….are you ok?” Inko asked the ghoul as she and the rest of her friends placed their trays at her table. Once again, they surprised her with their kindness and willingness to be with her after everything that had happen. She didn’t know what she did to deserve their kindness, but she was never going to let it go….she didn’t want to be alone again.

“Ah, Inko-chan! You surprised me that’s all. But yes, I’m fine.” Hinami waved her hand over bandaged left arm where Onee-san grabbed a bit too tightly after Touka left her and Calm to save Ayato. “I actually should be asking all of you that. Are any of you hurt? You did go up against a Martian without much of….our help.” Hinami muttered as everyone one took a seat around her. It didn’t escape her notice that Okisuke still sat away from her, but what did surprise her was that Nina took a seat next to her instead of Inko. Even though she didn’t know the whole story, she still saw what happened on the bridge and the monsters they could become, so why wasn’t she more wary of her?! Why was she flashing a smile at her? Before her brain could explode at the strange outcome, Inaho spoke up.

“None of us were hurt. A bit bruised from trying to hold up against the Martian, but nothing bad.” Inaho answered, taking a sip of his drink, ignoring the shocked look from Hinami and glares from Inko and Okisuke.

“Bruised!”

“And basically did it all on his own.” Okisuke grumbled as he stabbed his ‘mystery’ meat from the cafeteria. “One day man, you’re going to give us a heart attack with all the risks you take.”

“Risks!?”

“But I wasn’t on my own.” Inaho defended himself, “I had you covering me, Inko to damage him, and Ayato-san to finish the job. It would have ended well enough if the other ship hadn’t tried to kill Ayato-san.” Hinami had to wince at the memory. Even though they didn’t know exactly how dangerous they were, the other humans were still capable of recognizing that they were just as dangerous as the Martians and needed to be exterminated. If Inaho hadn’t interfered, Touka-nee and Ayato might not be with them today.

“But still man, you scared us shitless with that stunt.” Clam muttered shaking his head. “That’s not like you dude. What gotten into you?”

“Nothing’s gotten into me.” Inaho muttered, “I understood the risks, but since we did survive one Martian attack, it was more likely that we would survive another one.”

“Please don’t do something as reckless as that without me—us around.” Hinami quickly fixed her mistake as the group gave her a confused look. For some reason, that didn’t settle well with her….did they not think she was capable of protecting them? Did they think of her as weak as well? “I don’t want to see you guys hurt.”

“Speaking of injuries….I heard that Ayato got pretty hurt. Is that why he’s not here?” Inko asked as she looked around the table for the indigo haired ghoul. Hinami had to blink several times to see if that was indeed Inko asking about Ayato’s wellbeing and not Touka-nee or Onee-san. Apparently she wasn’t the only one having those thoughts.

“You’re actually concerned for that ghou—guy!” Okisuke choked, appearing just as shocked as Hinami was, “The one who looks like he’ll kill us in our sleep?”

“I kind of have to agree with Okisuke on that…” Calm muttered, his fork clattering on the table, “Why are you so worried about him? He’s kinda a dick….not that I mean anything by it Hinami-chan—”

“It’s alright…” Hinami mumbled, still staring wide eye at Inko who was growing redder by the minute. “He’s not an easy person to get along with in the beginning….I had thought he was a dick when I first met him as well….”

“See! Hinami called him a dick! And she never swears!” Calm cried out. “Are you sure—”

“Who’s Ayato?” Nina asked, interrupting Calm and saving—or maybe placing Inko in a more embarrassing position—Inko momentarily. “I don’t think I’ve met him…”

“He’s a family friend of mine…” Hinami began as everyone else stared at her to explain her relative. After all, she had a feeling none of the boys—maybe minus Inaho—would say anything positive about him. “He was on the bridge when Onee-san…went um….a bit unstable. He was protecting Nao-kun, Rayet-san and the pri—foreign girl.” That’s when Nina’s face lit up.

“Oh that guy! Well he looks nice enough. He even helped save Inaho twice now! You guys should be ashamed for badmouthing a friend of Hinami’s.” The blonde human scolded the teenage boys who stared at her with mouths gaping open.

“Um Nina…you haven’t talked to him. He hates our guts and even calls us humans as if we’re some sort of lowlife to him.” Calm tired to reason with the blonde girl. Still, Nina glared at him.

“Actions speak louder than words Calm! If he really hated us, he wouldn’t have helped save Inaho, or everyone on the boat.”

_But that’s because Nii-san kind of threaten him to help…._ Hinami couldn’t help but think. She didn’t dare to voice her thoughts though; it was nice to see some support for Ayato…even if he semi didn’t deserve it.

“See! It’s not weird at all!” Inko huffed, her blush finally going away. “I was merely concerned for a guy who helped saved our lives, that’s all.”

“I’ll make sure to tell that to my brother then.” Another voice interrupted their conversation, scaring Inko and the rest of Hinami’s friends. However, Hinami’s face lit up as she saw who it was.

“Touka-nee! How are you doing?” The youngest ghoul asked as she stood up and gave her sister figure a hug.

_How are your wounds healing up?_

“Fine, a bit sore but nothing painful.” Touka shrugged as she patted Hinami lightly on the head, giving her a small smile.

_Good. The food helped._

“And our dear Miko-chan is finally getting help from our dear local school doctor!” Hide happily cried out as he leaned over Touka’s shoulder, giving the teens a large smile; completely ignoring the irritated look from Touka. Hinami had to stifle a giggle; while it was nice to return to some normality, now was not the time to go down memory lane. Clearing her throat, she caught Hide’s attention.

“Onee-san, she’s….how is she….”

“She’s doing ok. Yuki-chan got to her and managed to calm her down enough to take her back to Dr. Yagarai. She’s with Dr. Yagarai, Yuki-chan, Kaneki, and Lt. Marito; they’re going through her treatment options.” Hide sighed heavily, as Hinami gasped a little. Treatment options? Were Miko’s memories that bad that she needed a therapist? And was Dr. Yagarai the only person that could help? Not that he wasn’t capable—she knew her school doctor could do wonders—but she was worried for him. What if Miko had an episode and accidentally hurt Dr. Yagarai?

“Yuki-nee calmed her down?” Inaho asked, interrupting Hinami from thinking any further darker thoughts. As she looked up, she saw her friends looking at Inaho with confusion as well. “How did she manage that?”

“Who knows?” Hide shrugged as he finally lifted himself off Touka. “When I found them, Miko-chan was crying and holding on Yuki-chan. I haven’t asked the details, but I think they managed to work something out.” Hinami could tell that he was hiding something, but she would ask him later.

“That’s good. Yuki-nee needed more female friends.” Inaho commented, earning sputters from his friends, a curious look from Touka, and a shit eating grin from Hide.

“Your sister would hit you with her exo-skeleton arm if she heard you say that.” Hinami sighed, giving the dark brunette boy a small smile as well.

“That wouldn’t be wise of her, it take longer for her arm to heal then.” The table erupted into chuckles before suddenly static echoed throughout the mess room. Everyone in the building immediately quieted down as they stared at the TVs around them, hoping to get a better picture as static dominated the screen at first.

As the picture started to clear up, a young man probably in his twenties or so, with surprisingly straight and bright blonde hair—Hinami heard Touka muttering something about a wig—showed up and the whispers began to grow.

“Isn’t that—”

“Why is he on the television?”

“Mommy, what’s going on?”

“Who the hell is that guy?” Touka asked Hide as he surprisingly gave his full attention to the person on the screen. “And is everyone either looking scared as fuck, or relieved?”

“That….is the one of, I guess you can say speaker, for the Emperor of Mars.”Hide muttered as he clenched his fists. “I guess, we’re too lowly for the Emperor to even make an appearance on television for us. But if he’s on television, then that means the Emperor has made his decision about what to do after the attack and assassination of the Princess of Vers. He is the only one right now who can order the Orbital Knights to cease their attacks or…”

“Rain hell on us…” Touka finished for Hide, earning a nod from him. From the corner of her eye, Hinami could see her friends also waiting in anticipation for the Emperor’s speaker announcement. After all, if he declares war, then they would be drafted as soldiers and there would be a good chance that some of them would die….

_Not if I’m with them!_ Hinami thought to herself, frowning at her own weak behavior. _I’m also a student who trained using the Sleipnir! If they don’t want me as a ghoul fighter, then I can fight in a Kataphrakt! I will not abandon my friends!_

“I wouldn’t get my hopes up high for a cease fire though….” Hide muttered softly for Touka and her only to hear. “The Emperor thinks his granddaughter is dead and if we can’t show him proof that she’s alive….”

“Never thought you would be the most pessimistic out of all of us.” Touka snorted as she lightly punched his shoulder. “Relax, Miko and Ken wouldn’t—will not, let anyone on this ship get hurt.”

“Yeah I guess you’re right.” Hide chuckled, before quieting down as the emperor’s speaker opened his mouth.

“Attention, foolish people of planet Earth.”

“Really? Can’t he get more creative than that?” Touka scoffed as she took a seat down next to Hinami, folding her arms as if she wasn’t the least bit interested. “I mean—”

“Touka-nee!” Hinami placed a finger on her lips and thankfully, the older ghoul complied and quietly listened to the rest of the message, but Hinami had missed the entire name of the Emperor.

“—Empire has issued a declaration of a temporary cease fire to the united armed forces of Earth.”

“Well, good thing that you aren’t always right.” Touka sighed as more people began to whisper amongst themselves or sighed in relief. “Otherwise, we would have had people panicking.”

“But that doesn’t make sense…” Hide muttered as he scratched his head in confusion. “He has all the reason to go to war with them, and obviously they have some serious anti-Terran thing going on….” From the corner of her eye, Hinami noticed the disguised princess slowly walking towards her; pleading with her eyes to talk to the ghoul in private. Realizing that it had to do with the announcement, Hinami gave a quick nod to Touka—who had also noticed the princess—and without saying a word, Touka stood up and gave her coverage from her friends.

 Without much effort, Hinami slowly stepped away from her group—which wasn’t hard considering they were having a deep discussion with Hide about the outcome and Touka effecting blocking their view of her.  However, there were too many eyes and ears in the mess hall, and they would need to go to a quieter place to make sure no one would see or over hear them.

“So you know what’s going on then?” Hinami asked as she grabbed the princess’s arm and led them away from the growing noise in the mess hall. For a couple of seconds, the Princess sputtered at the sudden change of direction but soon calmed herself down enough to answer the ghoul’s question.

“Yes….Grandfather must have realized what the Orbital Knights were doing and is trying to put a stop to it.” She sighed as they entered an empty room.

“The Emperor?” Hinami asked, wondering if an aged man would really stop ambitious, self centered evil humans from terrorizing a planet with his word alone. “Will they listen to him? They don’t look the type to listen to a higher up when there’s so much to gain for themselves.”

“I’m sure they will!” The princess cried out. “They’re Orbital Knights! They’re loyal to him and never done anything without his consent.”

“Except for that time when they tried to kill you, Rayet, and Onee-san at the bridge.” Hinami muttered as she lifted a finger to count the offences, “when they attacked us last night with no real lead on your whereabouts, or when they landed on several heavily populated cities within an hour after your announced assassination. Did your Grandfather tell them to do that?” At this, the princess looked sicken at facts present to her.

“I…no….Grandfather wouldn’t have—”

“Then they did it for themselves.” Hinami sighed. “Look, I don’t mean to be….judgmental, because that’s the last thing I want to do, trust me. But you have to realize that their actions….their disregard for Terrans means that….they won’t give damn about your grandfather’s words. They want to conquer Earth. They want to get rid of Terrans so bad, that I’m sure they’ll do anything in their power to do so.”

“But….not all of them share that view…” The princess hesitated, but it seemed that she didn’t truly believe her own words as she bit her lips.

_At least she knows that **some** Orbital Knights are dangerous. That should make our job of protecting her a little bit easier. _ Hinami thought smiling a bit.

“Well, as long as you understand that there are at least some with that view, then that’s all we can ask for. They’re the ones we need to make sure that they do not find out that you’re still alive.” The princess could only nod and that was enough for Hinami. “If that’s all you need, then I have to go and check up on Onee-san—”

“Is it ok for me to visit her?” The blond—brunette asked suddenly as she clasped her hands around Hinami’s. “I…I never got to thank her for saving my life and I need to apologize for causing such a horrible…..transformation to happen to her.”

“I um…”

“Please, Fueguchi-san! I need to express my gratitude and—”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.” Inaho’s voice echoed in the room, surprising both girls—Hinami a bit less as she was used to Inaho’s sudden appearances—before Hinami raised an eyebrow. “She’s not allowed any visitors until she’s cleared by Dr. Yagarai.”

“Wait what?” Hinami asked as her thoughts began to jumble together. Why was he here, when did had time to visit Miko, how did he find them? “Why…..when….how—”

“Touka-san was asking for you. Something about training?” Inaho answered as he stood at the doorway, impassive as always. “As to the visit, I didn’t. Ken-san came over and told us the news. He also told me in private that the princess was not allowed to visit Miko-san under any circumstances.”

“But why? All I want—”

“You still don’t have complete control over the Aldnoah Drive.” Hinami muttered, her eyes widening in realization. “Even though you’re not in your princess mode, so to speak, you’re still leaking out that power which won’t end well for Onee-san since she’s still recovering from your latest attack.” The princess looked stricken.

“But I’m not even sure how I’m leaking out the Aldnoah! We never had this problem before! I don’t know what to do to reel it in!”

“So until you do, then it’s probably for the best that you avoid Onee-san and Nii-san. They’re the ones who get more affected than we do.” Hinami sighed. “Sorry.”

“I see….if you shall excuse me, I must find Eddelrittuo before my disappearance makes her worry even more.” The princess mumbled as she exited the room, muttering a barely audible ‘excuse me’ to Inaho before disappearing completely leaving Inaho and Hinami alone.

“So….what have you been up to?” Hinami asked, a weary smile painted on her lips as she gave her full attention to Inaho. “Well besides eavesdropping.” With that, Inaho gave the ghoul a small smile.

“You already knew I was there.”

“Actually, I knew when you stared to follow me.” Hinami lied as she skipped over to Inaho and gave him a smile. “You need to step up your sneaking skills.”

“You were distracted with the princess to even notice me.” Inaho retorted, giving a minuscule smile in return as they walked out of the hallway. Hinami scoffed.

“Whatever makes you sleep better. So what was your reason to sneak up on us? You really fancy the Princess that much?” Hinami teased her friend, grinning widely as his heart rate sped up just a little. Oh the joy of super hearing.

“My heart rate’s only speeding up because your Miko’s brother and Hide-san are heading our way.” Inaho muttered, causing Hinami to snap her head away from Inaho—not missing his smirk, damn him—and gave her guardians a large smile. It also didn’t escape her notice that a guard was standing just a couple feet away from them. They were still not fully trusted by the captain it seems.

“Nii-san! Hide-nii! I was just about to look for you!” Hinami smiled as Ken and Hide caught up to them.

“Actually, we’re heading up for another meeting with the Captain.” Hide muttered, rubbing his head sheepishly.

“But it’s not about our situation.” Ken quickly interrupted as he saw Hinami’s stricken face. “Hide has something to show the Captain. Nothing to worry about.”

“Oh….then Onee-san—”

“Is recovering at this moment.” Ken smiled softly at the young ghoul. “She’s not supposed to have visitors for a while, but once Dr. Yagarai gives the ok, you can finally say hi to her.”

“Alright…..” Hinami muttered softly.

“Oh, and I nearly forgot.” Ken muttered as he turned to Inaho. “The Captain wanted to speak to you and your friend Inko before meeting up with us. I don’t know what she wanted to talk about but you should head up. We already told Inko that we would find you and send you off.” Inaho raised an eyebrow at that.

“The captain?”

“Maybe you’ll get an award!” Hide smiled brightly as he hung off Ken’s shoulder. “I mean you did spectacularly fighting against the Martians.”

“Ah, I see.” Inaho muttered before giving Hinami a nod. “I guess I’ll meet up with you later?”

“Yeah! Maybe we can finally play that card game Calm has been itching to play.” Hinami chuckled. “I’ll beat you for sure!”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Inaho chuckled softly as he began to walk away. “You still need to work on your poker face.”

“You’re lucky you’re walking away!” Hinami called out, “I would prove you wrong!”

“Well, your acting skills are sure getting better.” Hide smiled as Inaho finally exited their hearing and seeing range. “You sure you don’t want to prove just how good of a poker face you can have when you actually put your mind to it?”

“Then where would the fun be if I always won.” Hinami chuckled. “And it’s always funny to see their reactions when I ‘win’ with sheer luck.”

“Our dear Miko-chan as taught you too well.” Hide sighed dramatically before hugging his boyfriend. “Ken! What has your sister done to our poor innocent Hinami-chan!?” The young ghoul had to chuckle as her brother figure rolled his eyes at Hide’s behavior before giving his attention to her.

“Ignoring Hide’s comment, remember that girl, Rayet?” Ken asked and immediately Hinami’s eyes briefly flashed towards the guard behind the two and she was a bit thankful that he wasn’t staring at her when she looked.

_So Nii-san wants to know how I’ve done with my mission without the guard knowing too much….that would actually be a bit difficult if I had anything._ Hinami thought dejectedly as she quickly remembered her mission.

The youngest ghoul felt guilty for having nothing for her brother. Of course she remembered the task at hand. However, she had been so busy that she hadn’t had any time to spend with the Martian girl. Other than greeting her and trying to make her feel welcomed at her table, she had absolutely made no progress. It seemed even Ken could sense her turmoil inside of her and sighed.

“Don’t worry about it too much. I know how much has been going on, and I know that Rayet girl has a lot on her mind as well. It may take some time for the two of you to actually warm up to each other.” The white haired ghoul smiled softly as he patted her shoulder. “But if you happen to know her hang out spot, then it might be a bit easier to hang out with her….”

“But I have no clue where she likes to hang out.” Hinami muttered before lowering her voice even further for her brother to only hear, “There are too many scents on this boat that it’s hard to focus on one and sometimes it’s about a day old.”

“Well then it’s good thing that you have awesome brothers looking out for you.” Hide smiled as he gave her a slip of paper discreetly as the guard finally spared them a glance. “Otherwise, we would be laughing at you.”

“That’s not funny.” Hinami pouted as Hide chuckled. “I would have found her….eventually….”

“Well, when you do, make sure to tell us so I can win the bet with Touka.” Hide smiled before pushing Ken away from the younger Ghoul. “Come on, Ken! We need to get going otherwise we’ll be late!”

“I suppose so.” Ken chuckled softly before giving Hinami a small wave.”Good luck Hinami.” Only when they, along with their guard, were out of her sight, did Hinami open the slip of paper and read Hide’s messy hand writing.

_I’ve seen her sitting about the storage unit on the third floor a lot until she’s either hungry, there’s an attack or, it’s time for sleep. She’s very good at evading the soldiers who come to check up on that room so you may have your work cut out for you. But you might want to get a move on that mission. The faster she’s comfortable around you, the less she’ll be suspicious of you. Best of luck! Hide._

“I might as well go and check it out.” Hinami mumbled as she stuffed the note into her pocket—not before ripping it into several unreadable pieces—and headed towards the storage unit, hopping that perhaps, she could finally get the girl to open up to her. It would be nice to have another friend on this boat that knew from the get go about her ghoul status.

* * *

 

**_ Marito’s POV Couple of days later _ **

“So…..how’s Miko doing?” The lieutenant asked as he and his….friend—he didn’t deserve to have another best friend, not after what happened—stood at the door way of the infirmary where the ghoul kid—Aya something—and Miko were staying at. After he had helped bring Miko back with Yuki’s help, Miko, while regaining consciousness, had said nothing as she sat on the bed and had been like that for a while. Yuki tried to talk to her but all she got was small nods or head shakes. Eventually, Yuki had to leave for her duties but promised to visit the next day, which brought a tiny smile to the ex cafe owner.

Today, Marito decided to visit the ex cafe owner and was pleasantly surprised to see an exhausted Yuki taking a nap on Miko’s bed, next to her. Not that she minded apparently as she caressed Yuki’s head periodically and smiled softly. Other than those small moments, it was a bit unnerving to see the normally cheerful café owner so….

_Lifeless…._

“Well, her wounds from fighting the second Martian Kataphrakt are healing rather remarkably. She would be discharged from the infirmary yesterday if I wasn’t worried about her sanity.” Dr. Yagarai sighed heavily as he wrote several things down on his chart. He tried to peak at it, but he was smacked in the head with the clip board.

“Hey! What was that for?!”

“Patient confidentiality.” The doctor merely replied before sighing heavily. “Besides….don’t you already know what happened to Miko? I heard you were there at the meeting with Miko’s family when they explained her situation.”

“How did you hear about that?” Marito grumbled as he looked away.

“Yuki told me before she fell asleep.” The doctor merely replied before sighing heavily. “You want to talk to Miko don’t you.” Marito shifted his stance as he refused to look at the doctor while he answered. The damn bastard could read his thoughts a bit too well sometimes.

“Of course—”

“To see if she feels the same guilt as you do I presume.” Yagarai cut off Marito immediately silencing the soldier.

_Of course he would bring that up….._ Marito thought as he gave Miko another glance—her semi-lifeless eyes staring right back at him—and wondered if Miko really did understand him when they had their talks at the bar. When she told him how she knew what it felt like to lose a friend….or….was it all a lie? She certainly didn’t act like the ghost of her friend haunted her, reminding her of her failures. Taunting him that he should have died with him that day….she seemed perfectly normal but yet….staring at her now….she certainly looked like she was bearing a weight too great for her to carry.

“Lieutenant?” The doctor asked once more, bringing the soldier out of his thoughts.

“Sins that you’ve committed cling to your soul and haunt you forever.  And the sins that have gone unpunished aren’t forgiven until you die…” He muttered as he unconsciously brought out the source of his pain and misery. A dog tag—while mostly wiped cleaned of dirt there was a smudge of blood on the back of it…. ** _HIS_** blood—dangled from his hand as he stared at it. Only one name stared back at him with an identification number that he could not forget even if he wanted to. John Humeray

_Do you feel like this Miko? How many sins have you committed because you were forced into a different lifestyle? Forced to kill….how do you bear it? How? How do you continue to smile when you know it was by your hands that you will never see your best friend again?_

“Your hands are clean Marito…..” Miko’s soft spoken words were barely missed by the two of them. As Marito quickly turned around to face her, he was shocked to see her eyes briefly flash blue before changing back to the silver color he’d known for four years.

_It was probably the lights._ Marito thought as he shook his head, already putting the mysterious phenomenon behind him. However, before he could even ask Miko what she meant—and how much she actually heard, she spoke up once more.

“I’ve read the report….Hide managed to hack into the military to get it….and…..I don’t think….no….I know your hands are clean for his death….there was nothing you could do for him….you gave him peace…” Miko smiled softly before her face twisted painfully.

“Me on the other hand……my sins can never be forgiven….not even when I die….”

“Tch. You think you got it bad, then I’m twice as cursed as you.” The other occupant in the room spoke up, nearly scaring Marito as he nearly forgot about the other ghoul.  To his and Yagarai’s astonishment, Ayato calmly walked on his legs—he was sure that one of them was torn off and the other was broken so how—towards Miko before stopping right beside her. Miko merely stared at Ayato before flinching as Ayato flicked her forehead. “Oi! None of that ‘he’s not right shit!’ I’ve been in the ghoul business longer than you have bitch and I can tell you that you certainly aren’t the cold hearted monster you think you are. You can’t give yourself that much credit.” He scoffed as Miko rubbed her forehead.

“That was a bit mean.” Miko muttered before giving him a pained smile. “But you forget Ayato….I was in the CCG….and our greatest sin was the weapon we carried…..the bodies we destroyed….the lives we didn’t even give a second thought about….” As Marito looked at the younger ghoul, he was surprised to see him tensing up, shivering even. However, there wasn’t a shed of sympathy in his eyes….instead there was pure anger.

_Holy shit, he certainly did a 180 on his attitude. Just what the hell did Miko mean by her weapon? Why is that affecting Ayato so much?_ Marito thought as Ayato continue to shake in rage, his fingers balling into fists as Miko continued.

“Where’s my—”

“Your fucking brother has it locked in one of the storage rooms.” Ayato hissed as he grabbed the collar of her shirt. Surprisingly Yuki didn’t wake up with the commotion despite being right next to the action. “Why the fuck do you still even have one of those fucking shits!”

“Ayato-kun!” Yagarai cried out as he rushed towards the two, “Stop—”

“You stay the fuck out of this!” Ayato growled out, glaring angrily at both the doctor and Marito. Unsurprisingly Yagarai halted his steps and Marito couldn’t blame him. Staring back at them were two bitch black eyes with red pupils….something the Terran soldier thought only appeared in works of fictions.

_Just like Hinami……no matter how docile they look, once those eyes come out…..I can’t help but feel like I’m staring into my death….._ Marito gulped as Ayato’s eye triggered his flight or fight response and honestly, he didn’t think any of those options would even help him.

“I’ll ask one more time….why the fuck do you still have it.” Ayato hissed as he turned his attention back to the bed ridden café owner. For a couple of seconds Miko did not reply which caused Ayato to tighten his grip on her clothing. “WHY!” He cried, shaking Miko for good measure. To everyone’s surprise, while her eyes remained emotionless, tears fell from her left eye only.

“Trisha made me promise that I would keep her mother safe……” She whispered, “It was only fair since I was the one who placed her there….”

_What the hell is she even talking about?_ Marito thought as Ayato’s eyes widen in shock and slowly let go of Miko’s shirt just as Yuki began to stir awake. _And now she wakes up!? Just how deep of a sleeper is she?_

“You’re pathetic…..” Ayato muttered as he let go of Miko completely. “Why do I even waste my breath on you.”

“I wonder that sometimes as well….” Miko sighed before smiling sadly at Yuki who turned her head to face the café owner. Meanwhile, Ayato took the opportunity to walk towards them, only pausing to glare at Marito as he blocked the doorway.

“Move.” He hissed, “Or I’ll make you.” Without saying a word, Marito stepped aside and let the ghoul step outside. He didn’t let him go without a glare of his own though.

“Hmmm…..Miko?” Yuki’s voice turned his attention back towards the girls, giving Ayato time to escape.

“Have a nice nap Yuki-chan?” Miko asked giving a very strained smile to Yuki. For a moment Yuki nodded sleepily before she sat straight up, blushing heavily as she realized where she was.

“Wahhhhh! I over slept! I was supposed to meet with the engineering team—”

“You still have time. Miko asked me to make sure I woke you up before your meeting.” Yagarai answered, "You still have about thirty minutes before you need to go.”

“You should get changed.” Miko muttered—Marito noted that it was still void of any emotion—“You have drool on your shirt.”

“WAHH!!” Yuki cried as she looked down at her white dress shirt and tried to cover her stain. “Why didn’t you move my head?!”

“You were cute snoring like that.” Miko replied, giving a miniscule smirk to Yuki. Marito would have missed it if he wasn’t staring at her….now that sounded like he was a stalker….

“Snoring and drooling isn’t cute!” Yuki cried out before rolling out of bed. “Forget that memory! All of you!” Marito couldn’t help but chuckle at his co-workers antics. Even Miko couldn’t help but let out a chuckle of her own before she cut it off when she realized that Yagarai was giving her a smile.

“Miko—”

“You should get going. We know how long it takes for you to change.” Miko muttered as she looked away from Yuki’s questioning stare.  Yuki looked like she wanted to ask her if something was wrong, but a shake from Yagarai stopped her.

_Huh? Why would you stop her? Yuki’s the only one that can actually get her to talk? And isn’t that what you’re trying to do? Get her to talk so you can do your doctor thing?_

“Um…..I suppose.” Yuki sighed as she rolled out of their shared bed, trying to smooth out her too wrinkled dress shirt, before giving Miko one last look as she left the infirmary.

“Now that she’s out of hearing range…I believe it’s probably best if we start with the sessions now Yagarai-san….” Miko muttered out, turning her emotionless face towards them and Marito couldn’t help but shiver. “The faster we talk…..I don’t want to spend too much time remembering my past. You understand right?”

“Yes of course.” Yagarai sighed as he fixed his glasses before turning towards Marito. “I think—”

“Yeah, yeah. I know when I’m not needed.” Marito sighed heavily as he turned around and waved lazily towards them. “Not to mention I have to find that brat now.”

“He means well Marito.” Miko called out softly to him. “While he has no right to inflict his anger onto the people of Earth who have not wronged him in any way…..know that it’s a result of the past that humans….that I have been a part of. He’s still healing….all of us…so please…..don’t hold too much grudge against him.”

“Too much?” Marito snorted, smiling softly to himself as Miko’s personality scared the surface of her cold demeanor. “So a bit is alright?”

“Of course. He’s a brat still.” While her voice still lacked any emotion, Marito chuckled at her attempt to seem alright to Yagarai, but it was soon replaced with a pained smile.

_She’s still fighting that’s for sure….but just how long can she continue though? It seems that she has more skeletons in her closet than me….I just hope that it just won’t overwhelm her…_

“Now…..where do you want to begin?” Marito heard Yagarai ask, his voice getting softer as he walked away from the infirmary.

“….The beginning….”

* * *

 

**_ Rayet’s POV _ **

_How can everyone just believe that the Martian Emperor would just have a temporary cease fire…._ Rayet thought angrily as she walked down an abandoned hallway, all too eager to leave the mess hall where the announcement was broadcasted.

_Martians can’t be trusted no matter what!_ Angrily she wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes as brief flashes of the Martian Kataphrakt entered her mind. The breeze that came over her as the arm swung down and….

“Ah! Rayet! I thought I would find you here!” A cheerful voiced chimed, saving Rayet from reliving her nightmare once more. Turning around, Rayet couldn’t help but let her heart race as she saw who the voice belonged to.

_It’s the ghoul…Hinami…._ Rayet thought as she quickly turned around and tried to walk ay faster. She had a good guess as to why she was meeting up with her now of all times. And no matter how innocent she may look to everyone else….she wouldn’t fall for the same tricks. After all, she just wanted to make sure that she wouldn’t try to assassinate the princess at this crucial point.

_As if we could be friends….we are not even the same species…_

“Rayet! Wait for me!” Hinami called out as she grabbed Rayet’s arm, since her hands were currently tucked away in her pocket. “Didn’t you hear me call out to you?”

“Stop acting like you’re my friend.” Rayet grumbled, halting to a stop. There was no use trying to pry away her hands from Hinami, if she could physically dent a metal SUV meant to take missiles without getting too badly injured then breaking a bone would be like snapping a toothpick with her fingers. “I know why you’re trying to hang out with me.”

“And as I told you before, I won’t treat you like an enemy unless you do something to warrant my interest.” Hinami sighed heavily. For a moment, Rayet could have sworn she saw something close to sadness flickering in Hinami’s eyes, but she quickly closed them, giving her an eye smile instead. “I know I haven’t gotten to hang out with you for the past couple of days…I would like to make it up to you if you don’t mind.”

“It’s not like I have any choice do I?” Rayet grumbled as she pulled her arm away—she would never mention aloud how relieved she was to be away from her grasp—and leaned against the wall.

“Well….I really would like to be friends….” The brunette whispered shyly as she adverted her gaze surprising the Martin.

_Damn, I forgot how human she could look._ Rayet gulped as she tried to shake the guilt away. Even though she had no regal feel about her when she was in her normal state, Hinami had moments where she just seemed too pure for the world and anything done wrong to her would feel wrong. Unlike the damn princess, Hinami deserved to have people shield her from the world…..only when she acted human like this.

_I can’t forget that she’s not human. That this is all an act._ Rayet furiously reminded herself. _She doesn’t know pain like I do, she can’t possibly understand what it’s like to be left alone._

“Why me? Why don’t you be friends with the damn princess like everyone else is?” Rayet scoffed. “And don’t you have your other friends to hang out with?”

“Well…..even though they claim they still want to be friends…..after what happened a couple days ago, some are wary, some in denial, and Inaho is either stupid or too kind and accepts everything without much thought.” Hinami sighed. “Or he’s just trying to figure out everything on his own like he always does.”

“I’ll ask again. Why me?” This time the ghoul—Hinami—bit her lip in hesitation before sighing.

“Well…..I thought it would be nice to have someone to talk to….who has been through a similar situation.”

_Huh?_ Rayet dumbly thought and she could have sworn that her jaw dropped slightly. _What does she mean by similar situation? What does she even mean?!_ Just then she remembered the last conversation they had and it immediately made sense.

_“Witnessing the death of your parent is traumatizing enough. I know.”_

“You also saw your parents murdered?” Rayet asked slowly earning a nod from Hinami. That would make sense. The only real siblings from their odd group was the indigo ill tempered siblings and the white haired freaks. The blonde boy and Hinami were the only ones that stood out. Even though she had seen the oddball family act like older siblings to Hinami, Rayet could tell she missed her family…her biological family especially whenever she interacted with the older white haired male.

“It happened about five years ago….give or take. I don’t really remember the exact date…..it was really dark times for me and my family.” Hinami muttered as she unconsciously played with a stand of her hair, looking more vulnerable than ever. She lost the playful look in her eyes and looked a lot older than her age. “My family….we were one of the few peaceful ghouls….father and mother weren’t strong enough to hunt so we had to get our food source from a second party.”

Rayet couldn’t help but scrunch her in disgust. Of course she knew about their diet when she had spied on them couple days ago. She didn’t really believe it at the time, but as she saw their abilities, it was hard to deny the fact that they were….different…..and so having a very different diet would makes sense as well.

“And why are you telling me this outright? It’s disgusting.” Rayet grumbled as she tucked her hands into her pockets as far as she could.

“Well….you found out right off the bat that I’m a ghoul…so I don’t want to keep any secrets from you.” Hinami muttered, “My friends…I know it’s hard for them to listen when I talk about stuff like this so I avoid it.”

“And you think I’m comfortable? You’re talking about eating human flesh which I have plenty. It’s going to freak me out.” Rayet scowled at Hinami which caused her to blush in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry. I had just hoped….never mind. I’ll refrain from my eating habits around you.” Hinami muttered before taking a deep breath. “Anyways….my family….we weren’t very powerful and my mother always hated violence. However, with my father being the only available ghoul doctor around for several cities….he got caught up in some bad….it eventually caught up to him and my father was murdered by the CCG because he happened to know the ghoul they were after.”

“Well….sorry for your loss but….”

_That’s not the same as losing your parent right before your eyes._ Rayet wanted to continue but she held her tongue as she saw Hinami’s eyes began to gloss over.

“The CCG eventually found my mother and me and…..my mother sacrificed herself to give me a chance to escape….”

“So they killed her.” Rayet finished just as Hinami took a deep shuddering breath.

“Yes…..there was nothing I could do……I was barely ten at the time. There was no way I could take on highly skilled investigators and come out alive.” Hinami closed her eyes and bit her lip as tears escaped. “The last image I have of my mother is her smile she gave me….before…..”

_How lucky of her…._ Rayet thought as Hinami struggled to keep in her tears. _She saw her mother’s face before she died….but then isn’t that even worse? To know that even when your parents die they still love you even though they know there is nothing you could do to even save them? Proving that you were as weak as you thought?_

“Did you get revenge?” Rayet asked, biting her lip in worry. She had to know if the ache in her heart would ever go away once she defeated the Martians for taking her father’s life. After all, he had done exactly what he was told to, and murder was the thanks he got? That wasn’t fair. Martians weren’t fair. They already took down the one responsible for physically responsible for his death, but if she killed the one who was pulling the strings of the operation, could she find peace?

“No…..no matter what, I couldn’t bring myself to kill the man who killed my parents…” Hinami muttered sadly as she wiped her tears away. Immediately anger flared up in Rayet and before she knew it, she was grabbing Hinami’s uniform and slammed her into the wall. Surprisingly, she didn’t even try to fight back even though she had the strength to do so.

“Why the hell didn’t you! You claim you want to be stronger but the fact that you let that man who murdered your parents walk away proves that you are weak! You could have proved to your parents that you were strong enough by killing the man responsible for their death! You had the ability!”

_I didn’t_

“You had enough reason too!”

_I’m still confused if I even have a right to help the Terrans when I’m technically their sworn enemy_

“So why didn’t you?!”

_I needed to know if the pain truly goes away!_ Rayet panted heavily as she finished her rant. For a couple of minutes neither of them said a word and just as Rayet was about to give up getting answer, the girl in her grasp softly spoke up.

“I had seen too much violence and death….I just wanted it to go away. Mother and Father always wanted to live peacefully and well….I hoped that if I could forgive and forget, then maybe…..maybe I could make them happy.”

“Forgive and forget!” Rayet growled as her anger rose back up and she pushed all her weight onto Hinami as she glared angrily at her. “Just how pathetic are you?! How can you forgive and forget murderers! They don’t deserve any forgiveness! They deserve to rot in hell for the rest of eternity for their fucking crimes!”

“Then what about their families!” Hinami suddenly yelled back, glaring just as intensely as Rayet had. “If we kill their family, they’ll believe they have the right to kill and more people suffer! It’s just an endless circle of hate! I can’t stand that!”

“So you rather let a murderer roam free to kill other innocents!” Rayet shouted, her voice cracking in the end. How could a girl who wanted nothing more than to protect her friend let a murder go free. Willing to look the other way when it could bite her in ass later? It just didn’t make sense to Rayet. “Where’s the justice in that!?”

“I didn’t say it was right! I am saying that there has to be another way than revenge!” Hinami cried, “If Touka-nee didn’t kill that investigator for killing Mother then his daughter wouldn’t….his daughter wouldn’t have tried to look for revenge in Onee-san….” Hinami shuttered as tears once again fell from her eyes. “If we hadn’t sought out for revenge, Onee-san wouldn’t have been hurt!” With that last statement, Hinami shoved Rayet back and the Martian girl did nothing to stop it.

After all, her reasons made more sense now that she had a story to go with it. And she understood it in a way. If she were to kill the damn Martian in charge of the war, she would have probably upset a lot of people, fueling the war even further. However, that didn’t mean it was going to be easy to accept and she was not as caring as the teenager was.

_How  funny. The cannibal is more human than an actual human._ Rayet scoffed as she turned around, refusing to meet Hinami’s eyes. She was scared that the brunette would see her turmoil and would try to get her to back out of her revenge. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—let Hinami’s words make her second guess her decision about taking revenge. After all, it’s the least she could do for her father.

“I’m not as kind as you are. I have to avenge my father.”

“I’m not saying that those men deserve kindness….but I fear that you’ll let your anger out on the people you may associate to your father’s killer…” Hinami muttered sadly and Rayet knew who she was talking about.

_Like the princess._

“As if she’s truly innocent.” She spat as she walked away. However before she even got a couple steps in, a hand grabbed hers. As she turned around to yell at Hinami to leave her alone, she was suddenly met with watery brown eyes and a quivering frown.

“I’m sorry…..but….whenever I think of Mother….I….I….can you at least give me….a shoulder….”

_To cry on_ Rayet thought sadly as the teenager took her silence as an acceptance and stuffed her face into her shoulder and began to sob quietly. Slowly Rayet slid to the floor with Hinami and for several minutes, the two girls sat in the middle of the hallway, both crying. One silently and the other quietly.

_Maybe….maybe I can connect with her._

* * *

 

**_ Ken’s POV _ **

“It seems whenever I speak with the two of you, there’s always something new you must bring up.” The captain muttered as their bodyguard finally left them alone with the female captain and her second in command. Hide took no time to chuckle sheepishly at Magbaredge which she did not find amusing. Kaneki had to elbow his boyfriend in the gut to actually get the conversation going.

“Right. Sorry. No jokes….or laughs,” Hide answered, “Unless they’re needed” He added as an afterthought earning a heavy sigh from the half ghoul. He knew his boyfriend was trying to ease up some tension but there was a separate time for that.

“What Hide is trying to say, there’s a reason why we are having a briefing without the rest of our group. We believe it would be beneficial to you and also provide us some more….leniency with your body guards.” Ken finished earning a raised eyebrow from both women. 

“That is a pretty bold comment you have just made.” The brunette comment as she narrowed her eyes at the two of them. Kaneki wasn’t even fazed by it, he had seen worse with his sister and ghouls were so much better at intimidating than humans. “And if I don’t find your…..reason for this visit promising enough, then I can very well say that you were trying to blackmail me? If that’s the case, then I would have no problem leaving you at the next port to survive on your own.”

“You need us Captain. We’re your secret weapon so to speak.” Kaneki couldn’t help but smirk. “I don’t think you would leave us where the Martians could easily recruit us once they see what a valuable source we are.”

_How disgusting. I hate it when I have to refer us as objects instead of humans. Everyone has already been through enough of that._

“Not to mention, it also provides my boyfriend and our family’s existence a little bit more coverage.” Hide smiled as he pulled out a small USB. “After all, I’m sure explaining how you manage to defeat several Kataphrakts with minimal casualties without sounding too loony would be hard to explain.” Kaneki couldn’t help but softly chuckle at the annoyed look the captain shot at Hide before reeling in the noise as the second in command glared at him instead.

“What is that?”

“This, my dear captain Magbaredge is your holy grail. And will also make your commanders very proud and help your explanations without giving us away.” Hide smiled, “So can I borrow your laptop?”

“You haven’t answered my question Hideyoshi. What do you hav—” This time, Kaneki didn’t bother hiding the chuckle as he saw both the captain and her second gap openly at the screen Hide showed them. His boyfriend gave him a lopsided smile before mouthing, ‘I told ya’

“Where did you even get these?!” The black haired women cried out as Magbaredge began to scroll through the laptop. “None of the United Forces could even crack the firewall that the Orbital knights placed around the Earth’s atmosphere!”

_Because my boyfriend is a genius and thus the Martians never really stood a chance against him when it came to cyber space._

“Well, I don’t like bragging. But I’m really good with computers.” Hide smiled brightly. “So….with his information, can we get some leniency?”

“The fact that you have information on several orbital knights including their Kataphrakts makes you more suspicious, Hideyoshi” Magbaredge  muttered as she looked up from the laptop. “How can you prove that you are not a Martian trying to sabotage the UE?”

“That….I don’t really have an answer for.” Hide chuckled nervously. “I guess you have to take my word for it.”

_That’s not what you would want to say to a captain Hide. Even I know that._ Kaneki couldn’t help but sigh as the Captain sighed at Hide’s reasoning.

“You either care very little for the lives you’re placing at stake should your findings prove to be wrong, or your very confident in your skill and thus have no reason to doubt.” The brunette woman muttered as she held her gaze with Hide. Hide only smiled at her.

“What do you think?”

“That you are sometimes irresponsible and unreasonable cute when you want to be.” Kaneki muttered, hoping that his boyfriend didn’t hear him. However a peck on the cheek and a small eep from the black haired woman only proved that he wasn’t quiet enough.

“Thanks for thinking that I was cute. I thought the years would have diminished my looks.” Hide chuckled as he snuggled into his boyfriend’s shoulder. Kaneki couldn’t help but sigh and pet Hide’s soft bleached hair. Even though it probably wasn’t the best place for affection, he had missed four years of affection from his boyfriend and every moment counted. He be damned if people tried to make them stop.

“I will think about your suggestion.” Captain Magbaredge finally muttered surprising Kaneki as he thought it would take at least thirty minutes to convince them. “And if you are correct with your information….you may have bought Earth a couple more years against the Martians.”

“It’s nothing. I’m pretty sure even without this information, you would have been fine. Inaho makes a spectacular strategist.” Hide smiled brightly which even Kaneki couldn’t help but agree. In the small time he had worked with the teenager, he knew Inaho was an invaluable asset to the Terrans. If the Martian discover just how brilliant Inaho was, there would be a huge target on the human’s back; either for him to be killed, or to force him to work for the Martians.

_Which none of us will let happen._ _Inaho has a lot of powerful people that will do anything to make sure he stays safe._ Kaneki chuckled softly as he thought of the furious faces of Hide, Hinami and Miko standing in front of Inaho.

“You think so as well?”

“Spending four years around that kid makes me believe that if we hadn’t came here, you still would have been in good hands. No doubt.” Hide chuckled as he placed his hands behind his head.

“If you don’t mind, I would also like to recommend Hide to be your Intel specialist. “ Kaneki spoke up, surprising the Captain at his sudden request and while he couldn’t see Hide’s face fully, he could tell that he was rolling his eyes. Of course Hide would figure out what Kaneki planned for him as the war continued.  Cue the whining.

“Ken! Come on! You are seriously not going there are you?” Hide complained as he glared at his boyfriend. “I’m am not some damsel in distress!”

“Hide, I almost lost you four years ago. I’m going to do anything I can to make sure you’re safe.” The half ghoul  sighed heavily, as Hide began to punch his chest.

“SO! That does not mean you can make decisions for me!”

“Care to explain what you mean?”  The captain snapped, silencing the both of them instantly.  However, before Hide could open his mouth and complain even further Kaneki spoke up.  

“I wish for Hide to join your Intel group if war is to break out and a draft is issued. I rather not have him piloting a Kataphrakt.”

“Hey! I want to drive one of those suckers! Do you know how many times Hinami told me how awesome it feels!” Hide whined before glaring at his boyfriend. “Not to mention you never told me about your decision to put me out of the front lines.”

“You would have fought against my decision.”

“And you think I won’t fight against your decision because we’re in front of the captain? Ken, you are—”

“As much as I would love to hear your lover’s quarrel, I will assure you Kaneki-san I have an idea where I would place Hideyoshi –san and it will not be at the front lines. His mind is too valuable to let it go to waste.” The captain interrupted Hide causing both of them to stare at her in surprise. While he was glad that he didn’t need to persuade the Captain much, he feared that Hide would think that he had talked to the Captain before to get her to agree to his decision. And if that was the case….an angry Hide was not someone he wanted to see after four years.

“Wait what?!” Hide cried out, his eyes wide in surprise. “Then does that mean you actually value my brains!? You actually think I’m smart enough to help plan out attacks and counter attacks!?”

_Wait…..he’s actually glad? He’s happy? What the hell?!_ Kaneki thought as he stared at his boyfriend in surprise.  He expected more outbursts, resentment, but not….this.

“I will not let you down at all! I promise you that I will give you my best to take down the Martians!” Hide smiled brightly before laughing sheepishly. “Sorry. It’s just not a lot of people think highly of me so it’s kinds like a compliment.” However a side glare to the half ghoul meant that he still wasn’t off the hook.

_Of course it wasn’t going to be that simple_ Kaneki sighed to himself as the captain and Hide continued to talk. _Now what’s a good way to apologize to him? I can’t exactly buy him gifts, I’m not really that great at making things….maybe coffee? And maybe I can get Touka to help me make the latte art? Wait is there enough coffee beans to make coffee? Maybe make up se—NO! Do not go there damn it!_

Thankfully, he was saved from his more perverted thoughts when a siren went off, blaring loudly throughout the ship.

“This isn’t good….” Kaneki muttered as a nearby screen showed a large aircraft heading straight towards them. Next to him, he could see Hide’s calculating gaze before he muttered out sadly,

“Damn, that means I won the bet.”

* * *

 

**_ Hinami’s POV _ **

“An attack!?” The half ghoul cried as the alarm blared throughout the ship. Separating herself from Rayet—while blushing bright red as she realized the position she was in—Hinami stood up just as the ship shook sending Rayet falling after she had just stood up.

_It sounds much like the Martian Inaho and Touka-nee took on back at the pier._ Hinami thought as she easily hear the familiar humming of the laser sword. _But why is he back?_   _Is he out for revenge or does he know that the Princess is alive and is going to finish the job?_

“I knew the Martians wouldn’t just sit back.” Rayet grumbled out as she painfully stood up, rubbing her side that she had landed on. “It’s just like them to attack whenever they please.”

“We have to stop them….” Hinami muttered to herself. “But….I don’t know where the rest of my family is…..”

“Then it’s just going to be the two of us unless the rest decide to join us.” Ayato’s voice barely carried over the sirens but it was just enough for both girls to hear him. Even though Rayet tensed up at the sight of Ayato, Hinami couldn’t help but relax. If he was up and about then that meant his injuries were healed enough and could help her fend off the Martian until back up arrived in the form of her family or Inaho and her friends.

“Ayato! You’re healed!” Hinami smiled as she practically jumped towards him and gave him a hug which she could tell he didn’t want at all.

“To some extent.” He grunted as he pushed the brunette ghoul off. “Leg’s a bit messed up….but…” A sinister smirk made its way onto the indigo haired ghoul giving Hinami shivers. Sometimes she forgot that he was part of Aogiri at such a young age and his experience with battles clearly outshined hers. “It should be fine enough for me to finally kill that bastard.”

“Just….don’t push yourself too much…” Hinami sighed heavily before turning to Rayet who was watching their interaction closely. “Rayet….get somewhere safe. I don’t want you to get hurt. It…it may get a bit….ugly.”

“More like destructive.” Ayato sneered. “I have to get him back for putting Touka in such a shitty mess.” Shaking her head at his words, she did her best to give Rayet a comforting smile.

“Just….make sure to stay away from the hull….and outside in general.” Hinami laughed sheepishly before Ayato began to pull her away.

“If you don’t want to get left behind, hurry the fuck up.”  Hinami couldn’t help but let a small smile dance on her lips. The fact that he was waiting for her meant that he knew when he had to ask for help…that he trusted her enough to help him defeat the Martian. That mean in his eyes….

_I’m strong enough to help._

* * *

**_ Dr. Yagarai POV _ **

“What’s going on?” Miko asked, as she slowly looked over his shoulder just as several solders ran past his medical room. “Are….are we being  attacked?”

“….probably.” Dr. Yagarai chose his words carefully as he saw the café owner tensed up considerably. Her face began to pale and her breathing came in short pants that could easily cause her to hyperventilate. This wasn’t good. “But don’t worry.  You’re safe in here.”

“But….Ken…Hide…Hinami….Yomo-san, Amon they….” Dr. Yagarai placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. Thankfully it calmed her enough that she wasn’t breathing too rapidly.

“They’re fine. The CCG isn’t going to come for them or you.”

“But…”

“Miko….everything is going to be alright. You have to believe me. I’m your friend….I would never hurt you intentionally.” After a couple of seconds, Miko gave the doctor a shaky but small nod earning a smile from the doctor in return. While they haven’t been able to make a lot of progress—Miko tended to space out for several minutes before continuing—he did learn enough to get an idea what Miko went through in her childhood that made her make the decision to join one of the most dangerous occupations in her world.

“Right….you’re right…..sorry. It’s just….explosions don’t give me a good memory.” Miko muttered as she hugged herself tightly just as the ship rocked. “It’s not Arima….it’s not Arima…” She chanted as she unconsciously leaned into the doctor’s shoulder. She didn’t even lift her head as a new figure appeared in the room. Yagarai couldn’t say he was surprise that one of the ghouls, Touka if he remembered her name correctly, came in panting heavily. If Miko went through her one of her episodes, he as sure as hell couldn’t stop or subdue her. That was most likely the reason the indigo women was here.

“She hasn’t lost it yet?” She asked as she gave Miko a wary look. Yagarai shook his head as the ship rocked once more causing Miko to clutch tightly at his white coat. “Damn….she’s going have an episode if the ship continues to get hit.” She growled as she quickly shut the door, muting the sirens enough for his ears not to be ringing.  “Keep doing your doctor shit and make sure she doesn’t start hallucinating.” Touka ordered as she began moving the beds, providing a lot more room to maneuver through—

_Or to fight in…._ Yagarai thought sadly as she rubbed Miko’s back, whispering words of comfort. He didn’t know if they got to her though seeing that she kept chanting Arima’s name. Yagarai winced again as the ship rocked with another explosion, this time far closer than he wanted for comfort.

“No! Please Arima!” Miko cried out as she dove deeper into Yagarai’s shoulder hugging him tightly in fright. As he looked up, he was surprised to see Touka’s black and red eyes staring determinedly at the shaking women in his arms. He couldn’t help but wrap his arms even tighter around Miko, hoping at the indigo haired teen would see that he had it under control. That she didn’t need to fight or to put Miko in pain.

“Step away from Miko-san Doctor.” Touka growled as she released her red and fiery wing—Kagune—tainting the room a blood red color. “She’s going to lose it.”

“She won’t. You don’t have to hurt her.” Yagarai muttered, giving a glare—most likely very weak compared to hers—to the young indigo haired women. She didn’t even flinch, if anything her glare only deepened.

“Move! She’s hurting you!” Yagarai couldn’t deny that fact since Miko’s fingers were digging into his skin and her mouth was slowly nipping at his neck. And if it was any other situation, he would be blushing bright red at the intimate posture but with her whispering, ‘must fight…must eat….meat….human…..no….hungry’ he knew it was anything but intimate. In fact, a normal person would probably be scared for their life since Miko could easily tear through their throat in less than a second.

_The fact that she’s trying her hardest to fight her urge to eat me shows that she’s doing her best to fight her nightmares.  If Touka attacks her now, there’s a good chance that Miko will definitely lose it and I can’t let that happen!_

“She won’t lose it!”  He argued again, tightening his hold on Miko, daring Touka to come closer. “So please….step back. I’ll handle it.” However, luck wasn’t on his side as the ship shook once more, the explosion echoing loudly, causing Miko to freeze before screaming as red tentacles erupted from her back and squirmed wildly in the air.

_Oh crap…._ Yagarai thought as the tentacles quickly threw Touka away from them as she tired to intervene—and she made a dent in the wall, A DENT—before the tentacles focused on him. Miko’s head was still hidden from his view so she most likely didn’t know just what was going on, if anything it was just her instinct trying to protect her.

“Crap.” Yagarai muttered as the tentacles suddenly shot straight towards him, most likely to end his life.

_I’m sorry I let you down Miko. I’m so sorry._

“DOCTOR!”

* * *

 

**_ Ayato’s POV _ **

“Are you ok?” the brunette ghoul beside him asked as they ran past several civilians running from the most damaged part of the ship. As much as they wanted to take one of the exits that led directly straight up to the hull of the ship, it had been destroyed and they were forced to find another way up. And it was just annoying how many humans were running deeper into the ship. As if that would help them, the explosions erupting around them could easily reach them if the battle dragged on even longer.

“I’m fine. God do you fucking have to butt into everything?” He snapped, trying his hardest not to let his worry seep out. God damn, just how perspective was Hinami? No one in Aogiri could tell whenever he was in turmoil—well except for the higher ups but they were just creepy—and yet, in less than a couple minutes with her, she could tell there was something on his mind.

“You’re worried about Touka-nee, aren’t you.” Hinami muttered, causing Ayato to turn away. Although that probably confirmed what Hinami was thinking. “She’ll be fine. I’m sure she’s somewhere safe.”

“I’m not worried about that….I know she can take care of herself when it comes to humans….I’m….she’s in charge of keeping that bitch safe.” Ayato growled out, not even fazed by another explosion that rocked the ship.  “This could set her off and I’m not sure Touka….I…..argh!” He screamed in frustration as they finally reached one of the emergency exits that would lead them directly to the top of the ship.  It took him a couple of seconds to reel in his anger before he settled his glare onto the metal door that separated them from the outside world. “Fucking Martian! You would think he would have learned the first fucking time not to fucking mess with us.” He growled angrily as his Kakugan blazed wildly.

“I would suggest not to go crazy and kill the Martian, but I have a feeling you won’t listen.” Hinami sighed as she moved to open the metal door. Immediately they were met the cool breeze and smell of the ocean, yet they couldn’t hear the waves crash amongst each other as the humming of the laser sword as it sliced through the Terran Kataphrakts overpowered it. “Ayato-kun?”

“Damn right I’m not going to listen.” Ayato snarled as he ran up the steps two at a time—with Hinami hot on his heels—before they finally landed on the deck. Already several of the ships cannon’s were out of commission. They had a large gashes running down the middle of each of the guns that nearly made them unrecognizable. “I’m gonna kill that motherfucker. And I’m going to enjoy it.” He growled just as they witnessed the Martian Kataphrakt slice through a Terran Kataphrakt.

“I’m going to see if I can protect the rest of the humans.” Hinami muttered dangerously as she activated her Kakugan and released both of her Kagunes, just as the Martian sliced through another Terran Kataphrakt. “And and try not to damage the rest of the ship. We don’t want to sink.”

“Heh.” Ayato smirked as the Martian finally turned towards them, “No promises.”

_Time for payback. No one touches my sister and gets away with it._

“Oi! Did you miss me you fucking human!”

* * *

**_ Inaho’s POV _ **

Running into the hanger, the young dark brunette had already noticed that several of the Areion models were already missing and the ones left were slowly getting occupied by the remaining soldiers. As another explosion rocked the ship, Inaho turned his attention towards the remaining Kataphrakts. Two bright Orange ones. However, only one peaked his interest as he realized someone—he was willing to bet that it was Calm who managed to get the engineers to agree—had placed extra equipment on the arms.

_This will certainly aid me in battle._ Inaho thought as he grabbed the safety gear laying on a nearby table and immediately climbed onto the hanger that would bring him up to the pilot seat. He nearly fell off as another explosion rocked the ship once more followed by a loud battle cry that Inaho knew belong to the male indigo haired teen. _Who knows how much damage the Martian has already done….I can’t expect that Hinami and her family will take care of everything. It’s best to get going before Yuki-nee—_

“NAO-KUN! What are you doing?!” He heard his sister cry out just as he began powering up the Sleipnir. Turning on the monitor, he saw his older sister—with her exo skeleton brace, briefly reminding him just how close he was to losing his last family member—staring at the Kataphrakt in shock and fear.

“You’re injured.” He simply answered as he finished zipping up the safety harness around his neck. “You’re in no condition to fight.”

“And you aren’t even a soldier!” His sister argued, stomping her foot. “I should be the one going out there not you!”

“I won’t be alone.” Inaho answers as he puts his speakers around mid volume making his sister wince slightly at the volume. “I’ll have Hinami and Ayato-san with me.”

“You don’t know that!” She cried out once more as Inaho began to move his Sleipnir into position where he’ll be lifted to the deck. “Ayato’s still in the infirmary and Hinami wouldn’t dive into danger like that!”

“If they were normal humans, you would be correct.” Inaho answers as he moves the Sleipnir’s arm to equip the machine gun all Kataphrakts were required to carry. “But they are not. And not to mention, Hinami made a promise to us to always protect us. I doubt she would back out now.” Inaho couldn’t help but let out a smile as Yuki sighed one of her ‘Inaho has a point’ sigh. He was glad that he wasn’t the only one to see Hinami as the same girl he knew for four years. She was just….slightly different but her willingness to protect those close to her only proved she was just as human as the rest of them.  As the lift began raise him up, Inaho took a deep breath before clearing his mind of all meaningless information and emotions—they would do him no good if he could not act without getting angry or frustrated—and concentrated on formulating a plan.

_It is most likely the same Kataphrakt from before if the humming and explosions are a sign to go by._ Inaho thought as he remembered the massacre just a couple days ago. A battle he nearly escaped from only due to the combined efforts of his friends and Ayato. _If that’s so then we have the advantage. I doubt that the Martian Kataphrakt can take on two people, let alone three with just one sword. With Ayato or Hinami blocking his attacks with their Kagune, I’ll be easy to create an opening where we can either incapacitate him, or kill him. We might get more information if we capture him alive though. However, fighting an enemy without the intent to kill won’t do well for me especially since all he wants to do is murder all Terrans._

“YOU GOD DAMN MOTHER FUCKER, STAY IN ONE FUCKING PLACE!” Inaho heard Ayato shout just as he monitors began to show the battle field. Much like on the cargo pier, Areion parts were scatted among the deck, yet, there were several surviving Areion models with missing arms, trying to fire at the Martian Kataphrakt while Hinami protected them the best she could. It was still frightening to see her with the eyes of a predator when she was nothing but kind, however, Inaho was glad that she was willing to go to her darker side so to speak to help them out.

_Oh, that’s new._ Inaho thought, his eyebrows narrowing slightly in frustration as he took notice of the upgrades the Martian had gone through. _Two swords instead of one. This might be a bit more problematic than before. Although I’m sure we can compromise—_

“AH my nemesis!” The Martian called out as he had finally noticed his presence. He took another swing at Ayato that sent him flying straight towards Hinami. The two of them collided against one of the walls, making a rather large dent in it. Inaho took in a deep breath as he saw Hinami struggling to stand; easily remembering how injured she was when she had first crashed into the truck.  He then narrowed his eyes in determination, steeling himself for a deadly fight should he make a fatal mistake. “So you finally come to play then!”

“Ayato, Hinami. I’m going to require your help against him.” Inaho called out over his radio as he raised his gun to point at the Martian. “Are you well enough for it?”

“Tch. Like you fucking have to ask!” Ayato growled out as he stood shakily on his legs, releasing his Ukaku. His fiery wings soon turned into harden spears which he pointed towards the Martian. “This bastard is mine.”

“Please be careful.” Hinami called out, “We’re not exactly 100% just yet.”

“And we’ll provide back up.” One of the soldiers from the semi damaged Areion unit called out, surprising both teen ghouls. “We may not be able to do damage like you guys, but we are not going to fucking let you take on this monster alone!”

“If girlie here can make sure we don’t take any more damage that is. She’s really something.” Another chuckled out weakly as they lifted the remaining Areion arm to point its gun at the Martian.

_That is surprising._ Inaho thought, smiling at Hinami’s blush and glossy eyes. _I never thought the soldiers would quickly take a liking to Hinami—_

“NAO-KUN!” Hinami cried, snapping the teen back to the Martian, silently scolding himself for even taking his attention off the Martian. Immediately he began firing at the Martian who ran at him at full speed, dodging all of his shots. The other soldiers tried their best to stop him as well, but using one arm didn’t provide that great of an aim so the Martian didn’t even try to dodge them.

“There is no armor that these swords cannot pierce!” The Martian shouted out, getting much closer than what Inaho would have liked.

“Well, they sure as hell can’t pierce Kagune you fucker!” Ayato smirked as he suddenly jumped right in from of Inaho’s view, just as the Martian was about to swing down one of his sword.

“You forget that he has two swords,” Inaho muttered as he dropped his gun, giving one arm for Ayato to stand on as he used his Ukaku to block one of the Martians’ swords. Immediately, he raised his other arm—armed with reactive armor –just as the Martian shouted out in frustration and swung his other sword down. The reactive armor did its job as they exploded, dispersing the plasma effect and allowing Inaho to grab onto his arm, preventing him to retract and try to attack once more.

“You might want to disarm him Ayato.” Inaho muttered, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the controls as tightly as he could, doing his best to make sure the Martian wouldn’t retract his arm.  “He can pull back—”

**_SHING_ **

Inaho would never admit it aloud, but he was always grateful that he was never on the other of that Kagune as it cleanly sliced through the wrist of the Martian Kataphrakt before Ayato pierced its forearm to lock it in place since his own hand would barely be able to grab onto it. Sometimes it didn’t make sense as to why an organic material—it had to be organic, after all it came out of their body…LITERALLY—could slice through metal with ease and how their own body could deflect nearly any normal size weapon without being injured.

_If eating human flesh could do that to a person, there would have been sighting of ghouls in our own world much earlier than four years._ Inaho thought to himself, _There must be something else that causes the abnormality in their body. But for now, I should focus on the Martian in front of me._ Inaho narrowed his eyes slightly as he switched his com link to connect to the bridge where the captain would most likely be.

“Control! Please tilt the ship.” Inaho asked as he eyed Ayato’s struggling figure on his arm, “Do it now! I’m not sure how much longer Ayato-san can hold on.”

“Bitch! I can do this all day.” Ayato panted, giving a painful smirk as the Martian’s arm began to slowly pull back.

_Obviously you can’t. But I have a feeling you would hold it against me if I said it aloud_ Inaho chuckled softly to himself, as he felt the ship beginning to tip behind him. _Even though you aren’t 100% human, you still need rest just like the rest of us._

“DAMN IT LET GO!” The Martian shouted out in anger as his right Plasma blade heated up considerably and began causing a minor malfunction near his leg.

_I suppose now be the best time to put my plan into motion._ Inaho grunted as he flipped a switch that turned on his thrusters….backwards.

“Oi! Oi! Oi! Are you trying to get us killed!” Ayato shouted in surprise as he looked back at Inaho—or where he should be if those eyes didn’t give him x-ray vision.

_No that’s ridiculous. Hinami would have mentioned it at one point._

“Just jump before we hit the water.” Inaho explained, already pushing the control to let go of his backpack that would allow his cockpit to eject safely. “That should be enough—”

**CRUNCH**

Inaho suddenly felt his Sleipnir tilting backwards suddenly much faster than he had calculated and a quick look at his monitors showed that he was nowhere near the edge of the ship at all. So why—

_Ah…the leg gave out much sooner than I thought._ Inaho frowned at the red malfunction sign flashing right before his eyes. _I’ll be in a much vulnerable position and I don’t think that Ayato will be in any condition to fight even more—_

“HINAMI! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!” Ayato screamed just as the tilting stopped, surprising Inaho at the new development. As he turned his camera to his leg, he was surprise to see his friend wrapping her pale scale like Rinkaku around his damaged Sleipnir leg, straightening it up.

“It’s not much, it should hold long enough until we reach the edge!” Hinami called out over the boosters that came back to life. “AYATO!”

“I know! Just make sure you let go before it’s too late!” The Indigo teen shouted back just as he sliced the Martian’s Kataphrakt once more before jumping straight at him, Ukaku pointing at the cockpit.

_So they either want to make sure he stays dead or….they actually plan on taking him captive._ Inaho thought just as the edge of the ship came into view. He pulled the string around his inflatable collar, that immediately covered his head and without wasting a second, he pulled on the emergency eject handle and shot out of his Sleipnir just as the two machines made it airborne.

_I wonder if Ayato managed to complete his objective before they hit the water._ Inaho thought just as his own cockpit jolted suddenly as he heard the explosion.

“Sorry for the extra weight!” A voice muffled out above him, earning a smile on Inaho’s face. “I just didn’t know where else I could land.”

“It’s quite alright.” Inaho answered, relaxing considerably. “As long as both you and Ayato came out unharmed.”

“I have a question Nao-kun.” Hinami quickly asked after a couple of seconds of silence. “Why did that cause such an explosion? I mean…I don’t think that their Kataphrakts would malfunction so bad because water entered their system.”

“The intense heat from the plasma sword was enough to make the water turn into steam instantly.” Inaho answered just as he felt his cockpit landing in the water. He continued to talk as he took off his safety straps and opened the hatch of the cockpit where Hinami—without her red and black eyes—gave him a confused stare. “The pressure of the steam immediately expanded and well, you saw the result.”

“I never knew steam could be so….deadly.” Hinami shivered as she eyed the floating and sinking pieces of the Martian Kataphrakt. “I’m glad you were never part of the CCG….” She muttered to herself, earning a small frown from himself. “You would have been a deadly investigator to fight against.”

“I don’t think I would have the motivation to push myself where I can physically keep up with you.” Inaho answered as he took off his inflatable helmet that had taken the brunt of hit when he had first ejected. “You saw my scores in physical education. I don’t think I would have been out in the field fighting ghouls if I had an intense regime to keep up with.” That earned a small chuckle from the brunette.

“I suppose that’s true.” She smiled softly as she pushed some stay hairs behind her ear. “You always did the minimal requirement when it came to that class.” Just then, Hinami snapped her head up in surprise before it turned into a soft and…..pleased smile?

_That’s the smile Hinami would give Okisuke whenever he gave her something or thanked her for helping him._ Inaho thought as he followed her view and was pleasantly surprise that someone was already on their in a black speed boat to pick them up.  However, he had never thought it would be her picking them up.

“Idiot.” Rayet grumbled as she extended her hand out for the two of them to take. “You worried your white haired brother for fighting.”

“I was fine.” Hinami chuckled nervously as she rubbed the back of her neck, a small blush apparent on her checks. “I had Nao-kun and Ayato with me. And now I know you have my back as well so that makes me three times safer!”

“Whatever, just get in the boat before your brother gets one and tries to save you instead.” Rayet sighed, looking away as Hinami giggled and took her hand.

_This is certainly an interesting development._ Inaho smiled softly as the two girls semi-argued with each other. _I wonder….if Okisuke finally sees Hinami who she really is, will Hinami be taken by then?_

“Nao-kun!” Hinami smiled brightly at him as she gave him her hand. “Let’s go back.”

“Yes.” He couldn’t help but smile at the genuine smile Hinami gave as Rayet scoffed. “Let’s go back.”

* * *

**_ Hide’s POV _ **

“I didn’t think you were capable of actually sparing someone’s life.” Hide commented as Ayato unceremoniously dumped a beaten and unconscious Orbital Knight at his feet. “Especially when they kicked your ass.”

“Shut up you fucker.” Ayato hissed as he turned his attention out to sea where Hinami and Inaho were most likely at. “And why the fuck are you here? I thought that bastard would have wanted you inside.” He sneered as Hide rolled his eyes at him. Oh kids these days. One of these days, Hide will eventually find something to tease Ayato about—whether it be a boyfriend, girlfriend, or whatever—and he will never let up, not even for sex….well maybe for sex. But god, sex with Ken was—

_I really need better control over my hormones._ Hide sighed heavily as the black speed boat finally started speeding towards them. _After all, the kids and Touka can probably smell when I’m horny and I don’t need another reason to plot the death of Ayato for his annoyingness._

“We haven’t heard from Touka so Ken when to go and check up on her.” Hide answered, biting the tip of his nail in worry and he didn’t need super hearing to hear Ayato intake of breath. Of course he would be worried for his sister, it was only natural. “Although, considering that the rest of the ship isn’t damaged and there are no reports of a fox like monster trying to kill and eat people, that’s a good sign that Touka did her job.”

“Or something else happened entirely.” Touka growled out, slamming open the metal door surprising Hide. A side glance at the younger ghoul sibling showed him smirking at his reaction and Hide was seriously beginning to consider a way to accidently trip Ayato overboard.

_But that’s for another time._ Hide thought as he focused his attention back to the ex waitress as she frowned at him. _What happened?_

“Did the bitch pass out or what?” Ayato sneered as he quickly—but not quick enough for Hide—inspected his sister for any damage.

“That bitch would be my best friend little Aya-kun. I won’t tolerate any more insults to her you know.” A familiar but yet…..wrong, voice giggled out causing all three of their heads to turn. Hide couldn’t help but take a sharp intake of air as he saw who was standing just a couple of feet away from them. She looked exactly like a certain half ghoul Hide knew for over twenty years; however, there were subtle changes about her that if you didn’t know her as well as he did then you couldn’t tell. While her white hair still flowed freely, her two long strands that Miko usually pulled back since they weren’t long enough to blend in with the rest of her hair now shaped her face and laid on her shoulders. Her bangs that she never parted, now swept to the left, giving a lot more exposure to her only Kakugan which thankfully wasn’t showing. If it wasn’t a trick of the light, Hide could swear that Miko’s once silver eyes had a tint of blue to them as well.

All of these small subtle differences were once recommendations to the half ghoul by a dead ghoul. And while Miko loved her dead friend, she loved her own hairstyle and refused to change it for any reason. So the fact that she was now sporting the hairstyle meant only one thing.

_Oh shit….Trisha_.

* * *

**_ Several minutes ago Yagarai’s POV _ **

_Oh crap…._ Yagarai thought as the tentacles quickly threw Touka away from them as she tried to intervene—and she made a dent in the wall, A DENT—before the tentacles focused on him. Miko’s head was still hidden from his view so she most likely didn’t know just what was going on, if anything it was just her instinct trying to protect her.

“Crap.” Yagarai muttered as the tentacles suddenly shot straight towards him, most likely to end his life.

_I’m sorry I let you down Miko. I’m so sorry._

“DOCTOR!”

As he closed his eyes, he prepared for the worst pain imaginable but after a couple of seconds of nothing, the doctor slowly cracked open one eye. He nearly cried in shock as he saw the red tentacle literally centimeters from his glasses—never had he been so thankful for them—before they slowly retreated. Just as he was about to sigh a breath of relief a chuckle coming from Miko silenced him immediately.

_Miko would never chuckle after a dire situation like this. And not to mention…..something feels off about that chuckle._

“Well, that was a close one huh doctor?” Miko chuckled lightly as she pulled away from the doctor giving the doctor a good look at his friend and he couldn’t help but take a sharp intake of breath as Miko began undoing the strands of hair that she tied back on a daily basis. Normally people wouldn’t see that as anything too drastic; however, when one’s eye suddenly gets a tint of color to them….

“Miko!” Touka cried out, snapping the doctor out of his thoughts. “What the hell?!”

“Oh Touka! I’m glad to see my god daughter alive and well.” Miko continued, not even fazed by the confused look Touka was giving her as she began to part her bangs so that they would fall to the left. “Sheesh how the hell does Miko-chan see with all the hair blocking her view? This is why I tell her to at least push them to the side if she refuses to cut them.”

_She’s referring to herself in third person?_ Yagarai thought as Miko continue to fuss about her appearance while Touka began to grow paler by the second. _What’s going on?!_

“T-Trisha-nee-san?” Touka muttered out, her eyes wide open and frightened. Yagarai wanted to ask her what she meant by that when Miko giggled—it was too high pitch, Miko would never giggle that high—and nodded.

“Ding ding ding! We have a winner! I always knew you were brighter than you let on.” Miko laughed as she finally removed herself from Yagarai’s lap. “And while I do love the comfort of your legs doctor, I think I rather stretch the ones I’m borrowing. It’s been so long since I actually got to move them.” She winked as she began to stretch, looking a lot more livelier than several minutes ago. Seeing that Touka was too shocked to even ask any more questions—if her pale complexion was anything to go by—the doctor took it upon himself to ask the question he was itching to know.

“What’s going on? Who are you and where’s Miko?” He demanded as he stood up and blocked her patch as she was just about to leave the infirmary.

“Well, since you are trying to help dear Miko-chan, I suppose it’s only right that I give you some answers to your questions since you won’t be needed anymore.” She sighed as she played with a strand of hair. “As to what’s going on I don’t really know, but I do have a theory that I wish to share with a certain blonde to see if I’m correct. Miko is still here, so you don’t have to worry about her Doctor. I’m making sure she’s relaxing nicely.” She smiled brightly before narrowing her eyes at him and gave him a deadly smirk. “And as to who am I? I’m Trisha and I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”

_Oh this isn’t a good sign, not at all._ The doctor gulped just as Touka finally snapped out of shocked state and snarled angrily at Miko. _Not good at all._

* * *

**_ Hide’s POV _ **

“Trisha….” Hide muttered, his eyes narrowing at the half ghoul who merely smiled brightly at him. It sent shivers down his spine to see her smiling so carefree when she was just recovering one of her episodes. And the predatory look she gave the Martian on the floor did not sit well with him especially when the last time “Miko” gave that look to someone else, she slaughtered him into unrecognizable pieces. “I’m not sure if the circumstances make this a pleasant visit or not.” Hide chose his words carefully since he did not to upset “Trisha”. She was….possessive of Miko and that was putting it mildly. And if she thought you were a threat to her dear Miko-chan…..well it could end horribly. Sometimes, Hide wondered how he had missed the signs for so many years.

But to be fair to Trisha, it was never this bad. She had only started to get more possessive and deadly when Ken became a ghoul and she got orders from Aogiri to take in Miko. Of course Trisha never showed this side to Miko—she knew that being that possessive would scare her away—so that’s probably why Miko didn’t know about this version of Trisha. The one he knew all too well when Miko was stressing out about Ken’s disappearance and Trisha had demanded that he help Miko relax or he would be the next one missing. It was certainly frightening to see the once cheerful blonde turn into a crazy women in a matter of months.

_I wonder how she held herself back whenever Miko talked about her crushes to Trisha. It seemed that Trisha loved Miko to death. But then again, she wasn’t as bad near her death so that could mean she wasn’t that bothered by the crushes? Well, that’s something I can ask for another day. Right now, let’s focus on getting back the Miko we know._

“I suppose I can agree with you on that.” ‘Trisha’ smiled tightly at Hide before she cleared her face of any emotions. “But there were things that were out of….my control. So I’ll be here for a while to make sure….that there isn’t any danger to my dear Miko-chan."

“More like you’re not going to leave.” Touka growled out, “Don’t think that I forgot what you said in the infirmary!”

“What the fuck! What did you do to my sister you bitch!” Ayato sneered as he tried to grab a hold of ‘Trisha’ but faster than Hide could blink, Ayato was on the floor with his arms pulled back and standing above him was ‘Trisha’ with a dark and predatory look on her face.

“Nothing. I promised both your father and mother I would look out after the two of you. After all, I am your godmother. But that does not mean I will punish you accordingly if you try to harm Miko-chan. Are we clear!” She sneered as she pulled on Ayato’s arm even further.

“Miko-nee! Don’t let her control you!” Ken’s voice suddenly boomed out, freezing ‘Trisha’ in her place. For a moment it seemed that she was struggling with herself as she slowly let go of the teenage ghoul to clutch her head in pain. “Leave, Trisha! This is not your body; stop haunting my sister! She needs to heal and you taking over her will not help her with that!” Ken growled out, his Kakugan appearing in his left eye, making him look even deadlier than before.

“You don’t even know what kind of pain she’s going through.” ‘Trisha’ growled back as she stumbled onto the deck. “You don’t know the horror she’s been through! How many times she cried for help and no one came! How she first worried about your wellbeing to wondering how many more days she would have to endure before she died! I was the one who comforted her! I was the one who made her stay strong when everything was bleak! Where were you?! Where were you when you decided to pull your disappearing act! Did you think you were saving your sister!? Did you!” She screamed before she lowered her voice.

“I’m the only one she needs to depend on. I can help her heal without anyone of you interfering, especially that bitch who thinks she can be Miko-chan’s friend. She’ll leave her just like the rest of those pathetic humans did. Humans can’t be trusted.” She growled out. And before Hide even knew what he was doing, he suddenly found himself standing in front of her and without wasting a second, he slapped her across the cheek.

If he wasn’t mistaken, he swore he hear Ayato cuss in shock because, hey who would slap the crazy demented, possessive half ghoul who could easily tear you too shreds? The blonde guy who dating a half ghoul and helped ghouls escape from CCG investigators; that’s who. God, Ken was right, he was a magnet for danger.

_No use thinking how I’ll probably die if Trisha decides to become hostile,_ Hide sighed to himself. _Let’s get this over with and pray that I don’t die._

“So you’re telling me, that all humans are incapable of keeping promises?” Hide growled out, surprising everyone on the deck even himself. He didn’t think his voice could even get that dangerously low. Huh something new to try in the—nope! Focus! Shaking his head, Hide continued. “Then what the hell made you befriend all of us years ago? What compelled you to come over and introduce yourself if Humans are only capable of lies?”

“I—”

“Obviously, you thought differently! You knew that there were humans who you could trust! Who were worthy! Who would look deeper than the surface and see a person instead of a deadly ghoul!” Hide screamed as he grabbed Miko’s shirt and pulled her close to his face. “So why can’t you believe that the humans here are capable of keeping their promise?! Do you want Miko to wake up and see the damage you caused because you couldn’t keep yourself in check! Do you want her think that it was her fault?!”

“I would never let her think that!” ‘Trisha’ snarled back, “I would take—”

“The blame?! She would even feel worse because she would think that she had no control of her conscious unless you want to tell her about your possession?!”

“Don’t you even dare!” ‘Trisha’ roared before flinching back in pain, “Damn, it! Not now! Miko-chan! Not now!”

“See! Even she realizes that something’s wrong!” Hide cried back, tightening his hold. “She knows that this isn’t you! We know that this isn’t you! Please! Just, go back.” Hide panted as Miko—well Trisha—finally begun losing the battle to control Miko’s body.

“This….isn’t the end.” Miko—Trisha—muttered, glaring weakly at Hide. “I will do whatever to protect Miko-chan.”

“Even if it destroys her?” Hide asked softly causing Trisha’s eyes to widen slightly. “Because, that’s her greatest fear. To hurt the people she cares for or at least the innocent. If you go through with what you think is best for Miko-chan….I think you might do more damage to her.” He never got an answer as Trisha finally closed her eyes, and slumped forward signaling that Miko finally gained control over her body. Letting out a breath of relief, he let Ken take Miko’s body off his hands and carried her bridal style.

“Thank you Hide.” Ken sighed as Miko began to stir, “Thank you for saying those words.”

“Hey, someone had to do it.” Hide chuckled, “Even when it’s to a scary as shit person who can kill you in seconds.” He nervously laughed before he turned his attention to the unconscious Martian that laid just a couple feet away from them. “So…..how are we going to explain to the Captain that we brought a Martian aboard mostly for your food bank?”

“Let’s just focus on one problem at a time.” Ken sighed as Miko wearily opened her eyes. “We had enough shit happening today.”

“Tch, for once, I’m going to agree with you.” Ayato snorted before giving the Martian a kick to the gut as he moaned. “Stupid Martian.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> So what do you guys think about the crossover so far? Like dislike? Feedback is welcomed


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